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Since most everyone has upgraded to systems that utilize SATA hard drives, it’s quite obvious that that technology will require an overhaul soon to ensure computer users spend money on the next-fastest storage connectivity technology. Intel has recently showcased their effort to provide blazingly-fast interconnections between peripherals and computing hardware. Codenamed Light Peak, the new technology eschews traditional copper wire in favour of fibre optic connections.

Utilizing the glass strands, Light Peak-enabled devices should be able to talk to each other at the not-to-be-sniffed-at speed of up to 10Gb/s. And that’s just for starters. With the technology expected to be shipped in the first desktop and mobile computers late in 2010 that speed could increase by a factor of ten, enabling devices to transfer data at up to 100Gb/s!

Other advantages of optical technologies include the ability to manufacture much smaller connectors and have the capability of running multiple protocols over the same medium simultaneously. That means Light Peak could become the new standard of the future, necessitating the purchase of new keyboards, mice, displays, hard drives and goodness knows what else. Both eSATA and USB 3 may become irrelevant rather quickly…

Read more about Light Peak here.