Though transistors become faster and smaller by the year, the ability of wires to send information does not keep up, progressively limiting the performance of electronic systems. At the same time, photonic technology is used increasingly at ever shorter distances for all high-speed transmission of data. Can photonics solve the problems of wired connections inside electronic machines? Can we successfully exploit mainstream silicon electronic technology to reduce the cost and increase the capability of optical networks? This talk will summarize current thinking and prospects for joining photonics and mainstream electronics.