Stephen Forrest Shaped Smartphones, Internet Infrastructure, and the Future of Energy

How Stephen Forrest Quietly Built the Foundations of the Digital World

In the modern digital age, innovation often appears as an overnight phenomenon. A new smartphone launches, internet speeds suddenly improve, or display technology becomes thinner and brighter with each generation. Yet behind these seemingly rapid leaps forward lie decades of patient, fundamental engineering work—often driven by individuals whose names are rarely known outside scientific circles. Stephen Forrest is one such figure. Over a career spanning more than four decades, Forrest has helped shape the technological backbone of modern life, influencing how information travels across oceans, how smartphones display light, and how future energy systems may operate. From fiber-optic photodetectors that … Read more