Google Unveils Tiny Taara Chip for Amazingly Fast, Light Internet

The fingernail-sized Taara chip from Google X transmits data by precisely focused laser beams instead of wires.

Researchers tested two Taara chips at 10 Gbps across 1 kilometer outdoors. According to Taara general manager Mahesh Krishnaswamy, this may be the first silicon photonics system to attain that capacity.

Fiber-like speeds without cables
Its purpose is to provide fiber-optic speeds in distant, hilly, or thickly wooded places where regular cable connections are impossible or too costly. Taara sends data as optical signals via the air, eliminating the need for massive underground labor with fiber lines.

Taara transmits data using light pulses like fiber optics. However, it avoids 5G and other bandwidth-heavy signal bottlenecks by not dealing with radio frequency congestion. It may also be installed in hours instead of weeks or months.

Tiny Lightbridge
Traffic light-sized Taara chip is a smaller version of Taara Lightbridge, a Google X technology. Lightbridge aligns two points of light using mirrors, sensors, optics, and software to establish a steady 20 Gbps communication spanning 12.4 miles (20 km). The Taara chip miniaturizes these components, expanding uses.

Timeline of Release
Krishnaswamy adds an unannounced X product will make the Taara processor accessible in 2026. Google X invites researchers to investigate use cases including linking distant communities, building quicker, more efficient data centers, and allowing secure self-driving vehicle communication.