Goodbye Loading Screens, Hello Light Beams: Alphabet's Taara Chip Breaks the Internet (In a Good Way)

Alphabet's Project Taara announced a revolutionary silicon photonic chip that sends high-speed internet with beams of light. The chip, the size of a fingernail compared to the traffic light-sized Taara Lightbridge, relies on software to navigate and adjust light beams without requiring bulky hardware. The chip attained 10 Gbps speeds for 1 kilometer in testing. Taara's technology is said to provide fiber-like speeds of 20 Gbps over 20 kilometers, and has the potential to transform internet access in far-flung or difficult locations. The company hopes to launch a high-end version with thousands of light emitters in 2026, providing an affordable substitute for conventional fiber optics.

 

Sources: PCMag, Yahoo Tech, Engadget, X Company Blog