An optical chip, operating at data rates of almost 640 GB/s, can potentially make the Internet run up to 100 times faster.

Physicists at the University of Sydney in Australia believe the chalcogenide glass photonic chips are cheap to produce since they can be made from plain glass crystals.

The chips increase internet speed by preventing networks from being bogged down by old fashioned electronic components when transmitting information at the speed of light.

Scientists say this technology could be commercially available in as early as five years