IBM Research - Optics

We collaborated with Found and Map Project Office for IBM on an innovative project showcasing IBM’s latest advancement in generative AI computing—fibre optic technology. The film delves into the fabrication of the chip, illustrating the speed and bandwidth enabled by fibre optic connections.

The challenge? Fibre optics don’t inherently produce sound. So, we asked ourselves: how do we convey the speed, wonder, and magic of light-speed technology through sound? The answer lay in using sound design to breathe life into this otherwise silent technology.

Through carefully crafted sound design, we set out to translate the efficiency and beauty of fibre optics into an auditory experience. We drew inspiration from the mesmerising sound of Euler’s Disc—a spinning disc that produces a perfectly balanced sound, rich in intensity and energy, evoking the essence of rapid, fluid motion. By doing so, we created an immersive soundscape that gives fibre optics a voice, transforming abstract concepts into something tangible, relatable, and emotionally resonant.

This project demonstrates how sound has the power to turn advanced technology into an experience—bridging the gap between the unfamiliar and the human, and giving life to the tools that shape our future.