{
  "id": 9218095,
  "title": "Will a switch to light speed cut power use at data centres?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/22/will-a-switch-to-light-speed-cut-power-use-at-data-centres",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-22T23:03:48.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "BBC Business",
    "slug": "bbc-business",
    "url": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2dwg3zexkpo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Data centre operator Digital Reality's chief technology officer, Chris Sharp, believes that the time may be approaching when copper wiring will no longer be the primary component in data centres. While copper is used extensively in data centres, much of it is dedicated to cooling systems and the servers themselves, which are the main power consumers. Meanwhile, the connection between servers, primarily through spaghetti-like wiring, represents a prime target for replacement. Researchers and companies are exploring the use of light, or photons, instead of copper, a technology known as photonics. This method could significantly reduce power usage, as light does not generate heat like electricity. Photonics is not a trivial task, however, as it involves intricate engineering and the creation of optical components that are directly connected to electrical ones. Moreover, light-based data transfer is much faster than electrical transfer, but the installation and maintenance of these systems remain a human-paced process. The technology faces significant manufacturing challenges, as optical components are generally larger than silicon components used in computer chips. However, with the backing of industry giants such as Nvidia and companies like Cornerstone Labs, photonics is gradually moving from the lab to widespread application. The benefits of photonics could be fully realized when it is used not just for data transmission, but also for processing data directly in the optical domain, thereby saving even more energy.",
  "summary": "To save power and add capacity, data centres are switching from copper wires to tech using light.",
  "key_points": [
    "Chris Sharp predicts copper may soon be replaced in data centres.",
    "Photonics technology could cut power use by eliminating heat-generating electricity.",
    "Nvidia and Cornerstone Labs support photonics development for data processing."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "BBC Technology",
        "title": "Will a switch to light speed cut power use at data centres?",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/22/will-a-switch-to-light-speed-cut-power-use-at-data-centres-9219953",
        "published": "2026-09-22T23:03:48.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}