Will a switch to light speed cut power use at data centres? The tech is here, but it's facing some hurdles. CTO Chris Sharp says we're moving beyond copper, but it's not as simple as swapping one wire for another. The key is in photonics, where data is carried by light, reducing heat and energy consumption.

Data centres are massive consumers of copper, with around 400 tonnes in a typical 100MW facility. But the real target is the 70 tonnes used in server wiring, and the 20 tonnes in network wiring. The challenge is in integrating optical components directly into computer chips, a process that requires intricate engineering.

Photonics could make data centres less energy-intensive, but it's not just about the tech. It's about manufacturing, installation, and maintenance. Andrew Wheeler at Hewlett Packard Labs says the industry is still figuring out how to bring costs down, and that's where the real challenge lies. The good news is that knowledge from electronics manufacturing can help, as seen in repurposing old silicon production lines.

For now, the focus is on scaling up manufacturing and overcoming reliability concerns. Some companies are looking beyond just data transport to data processing, but that's still in the future. As Ofer Shapiro of Resolight.ai says, the goal is to keep data in the optical domain, saving even more energy. But until then, we're in the early stages of a technology reset.