Data zips through optical fibers at the speed of light, but the path isn't perfect: the signal gets muddled, like a voice echoing down a long hallway. The faster the speed and the longer the distance, the worse the distortion. Usually, electronics fix this, but they can't keep up with light.

Scientists assembled a light-based computer from several lasers linked in a chain. Each laser acts like a network node that slightly adjusts the signal. Together, they learn on the fly: the first layer catches gross errors, and the subsequent layers refine the details. In tests, this computer processed a signal at 240 gigabits per second: that's about 30 gigabytes of data every second.

Trials showed that the light-based computer handles distortions at different signal powers and over various distances. That means it could be integrated into real communication lines — helping data travel farther and more accurately, without bulky electronics.