Ultrafast vortex microlasers: For applications in ultrafast communication, all-optical switches will require low energy consumption, high speed, a strong modulation ratio, a small footprint, and on-chip integration. Although the small footprint and on-chip integration are accessible, the trade-off between low energy consumption and high speed has been challenging. Huang et al. exploited the idea of bound states in the continuum, effectively a high–quality ( Q ) cavity without the physical cavity, to design vortex lasers with highly directional output and single-mode operation. With the trade-off between low energy consumption and high speed now broken, it should be possible to realize ultrafast optical switching that meets all the requirements of modern classic and quantum information. Science , this issue p. 1018