A Revolutionary Computer Chip sends data via sound waves instead of electrons

According to a press release, Harvard researchers for the first time controlled and modulated acoustic waves, or sound waves, using an electric field in a computer chip.

The new discovery could have far-reaching implications for quantum computing as well as classical computing, which typically relies on electrons to transmit data.

Classical computer chips typically transmit and process data by modulating electrons. This is accomplished through the use of transistors, which encode data into the computer language of ones and zeroes — one represented by high current and the other by low current.

Meanwhile, photonic chips modulate photons (light particles) before sending them through data-transmission components called waveguides. The Harvard team’s sound wave chip functions similarly to a photonic chip, but with a few additional advantages.

Acoustic waves travel at a slower speed than electromagnetic waves with the same frequency. But, according to the team behind the new device, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. This is due to the fact that short acoustic waves are simple to confine in nanoscale structures and have strong interactions with the system in which they are contained. This could make them extremely useful in both classical and quantum applications.