Intel scientists say that they have made silicon chips that can switch light like electricity, blurring the line between computing and communications and presenting a vision of the digital future that will allow computers themselves to span cities or even the entire globe.

The invention demonstrates for the first time, Intel researchers said, that ultrahigh-speed fiberoptic equipment can be produced at personal computer industry prices, allowing for machines that are not located in a single physical place and transmitting high-definition video and images hundreds or even thousands of times faster than possible on today’s Internet.