Tbps

Tbps

(TeraBits Per Second, TeraBytes Per Second) One trillion bits or bytes per second. Tbps is a measurement that prior to the 21st century was unthinkable. As 40 and 100 Gbps Ethernet become the norm for high-speed backbones, terabit-per-second ratings will become common in the future. See space/time, Gbps and Mbps.

The Holy Optochip
In 2012, IBM introduced an optical chipset that transfers data at 1 Tbps. Designed for short-range transmission (less than 500 feet) in a multimode fiber array, the CMOS chip has 48 holes (top) that allow access to the 24 photodiode receivers and 24 VCSEL transmitters as seen from the back (bottom). (Images courtesy of IBM.)