Just when you thought the hip new thing to do with CPUs was using copper, Intel is saying they wanna use that wacky fiber optics stuff. The use of fiber optics will most certainly be more complex than just using pieces of metal, but also add the benefit of consuming less power when doing its job.

Optical connections, which use laser light beams rather than electrical impulses to transmit signals, could solve some bottlenecks because they can run on less power. It won't be cheap or easy, but it might become the lead alternative. Other companies are also looking at organic connections.