New light-based computing tech hits 10,000 GHz, over 1,000× faster than today's processors

Modern day computers rely on moving electrical charges through semiconductor transistors, a process constrained by physical speed limits. To break past this barrier, a research team led by scientists at the Politecnico di Milano has successfully used oscillating light not only to transmit data but to process it. Published in the journal Nature Photonics, the study demonstrates that highly controlled laser pulses can manipulate matter to perform logical operations at frequencies exceeding 10 terahertz (THz) — over 1000 times faster than the best processors on the market.

To achieve these speeds, the researchers used tungsten disulfide, a microscopic two-dimensional material measuring just three atomic layers thick. Within this extremely thin film, electrons can be driven into two distinct quantum states, commonly referred to as "valleys." These valleys act as a new type of information unit, functioning much like the standard zeros and ones in traditional computing, but they can be controlled far more rapidly. By applying a precise sequence of incredibly brief light flashes — each lasting only a few quadrillionths of a second — the researchers were able to selectively activate, deactivate, and manipulate these information states.

Remarkably, these ultra-fast operations were executed at room temperature using light pulses that are already standard in laboratory settings. This optical approach also allowed the team to independently measure how long the encoded information remains stable before degrading, which is a critical factor for any future practical application.

While researchers acknowledge that hurdles remain — such as scaling up the number of bits and designing more complex light pulse sequences — this successful demonstration provides a concrete foundation for a new generation of light-powered, ultra-fast computer hardware.