Google X has introduced the Taara chip, a fingernail-sized device designed to transmit data via precisely directed light beams instead of conventional cables.
In testing, researchers achieved speeds of 10 Gbps over a distance of 1 kilometer outdoors using two Taara chips. This milestone, according to Taara general manager Mahesh Krishnaswamy, may be the first instance of silicon photonics reaching such high capacity at that range.
Fiber-Like Speeds Without Cables
The goal behind Taara is to deliver fiber-optic-level speeds in areas where traditional cable installations are impractical or too expensive, such as remote regions, mountainous terrain, or densely forested areas. Fiber cables require extensive underground work, but Taara eliminates this step by sending data as optical signals through the air.
Like fiber optics, Taara relies on light pulses to carry information. But because it doesn’t need to contend with radio frequency congestion, it avoids the bottlenecks that can plague 5G or other bandwidth-heavy signals. Users can also install it in a fraction of the time, often within hours instead of weeks or months.
A Miniaturized Lightbridge
The Taara chip is a compact version of Taara Lightbridge, an earlier Google X technology about the size of a traffic light. Lightbridge aligns two points of light with mirrors, sensors, optics, and software to create a stable link capable of up to 20 Gbps over distances as far as 12.4 miles (20 km). The Taara chip further miniaturizes these components, opening the door for a broader range of applications.
Release Timeline
Krishnaswamy says the Taara chip will be available in 2026 through an upcoming X product that has yet to be fully revealed. Meanwhile, Google X is inviting researchers to explore use cases—from connecting isolated communities to constructing faster, more efficient data centers, and even enabling new kinds of secure communication for self-driving cars.
Source: Google Unveils Tiny Taara Chip for Insanely Fast, Light Based Internet
