Supercomputers may soon be the same size as a laptop if IBM brings to market research in silicon nanophotonics, in which pulses of light replace electricity to make data transfer between processor cores on a chip up to one-hundred times faster.

The technology, which can transfer data up to a distance of a few centimeters, is about 100 times faster than wires and consumes one-tenth as much power.

Silicon nanophotonics is part of a long-term research project and could be implemented in chips within 10 to 12 years, an IBM spokesperson said.