The biggest hurdle in development of processors with hundreds of cores is data transfer speed and efficiency. It looks like IBM researchers have found a solution to this problem they have developed a technology called silicon nanophotonics, which replaces some of the wires on a chip with pulses of light on optical fibers for quicker and more power-efficient data transfer. The technology, which can transfer data up to a distance of few centimeters, is about 100 times faster that wires and consumes one-tenth as much power. The improved bandwidth and power efficiency of silicon nanophotonics will make it possible to have hundreds or thousands of cores on a chip bringing supercomputer power to the desk. Though this technology is still in research phase and any implementation would at least take 10-12 years, just imagine the power you will have on your lap or desk in 10 years.