For decades, the solution to harder problems has been ‘build a bigger computer’— but ...

A new type of computer that uses light rather than electricity could perform calculations faster, using less energy and less space. Computer chips are made up of millions or billions of logic gates.

When it comes to computation, the modern approach seems to involve an enormous bucket of bits, vigorous shaking, and not a lot of explanation of how it all works. If you ever wondered how Excel became ...