NTT recently demonstrated this industry-first capability. They were able to manage super-high speed factory production from a data center 300km away via an optical & wireless composite network, built through IOWN. This milestone underscores the diverse, transformative applications that photonics can have in the … making photonics the key to improving operational efficiency.
The Growing Membership of IOWN
IOWN has attracted a broad membership that ranges from chip makers to server manufacturers to Internet companies. This unprecedented partnership is a testament to the unified belief among leaders in the telecommunication industry of the future of data sharing and communication.
The initiative’s wide scope is critical to the effort’s ability to catalyze innovation. It combines knowledge and experience from universities, government, and industry to accelerate innovations in optical technologies. The members are collectively working towards realizing a next-generation infrastructure that leverages the unique properties of light for data transmission.
Helming the IOWN Development Office, Yosuke Aragane participates in ensuring important collaboration and joint development continues between members. The competitive yet collaborative environment fosters a spirit of knowledge sharing and collaboration, speeding up R&D efforts and making it easier for participants to explore game-changing solutions.
A Roadmap Towards Optical Communication
NTT’s three-phase roadmap for IOWN lays out a number of major milestones and initiatives designed to revolutionize data transmission. The second phase of their project aims at realizing optical communication between circuit boards, which is projected to clear the path for inter-chip links by 2028. In short, connections within a single chip are expected to come along by 2032.
These developments are especially important for addressing the growing demands of data transmission. Splitting the work equally, NTT is working with U.S. chipmaker Broadcom and other partners to commercialize that second-generation Photonic Electric Converter (PEC) by 2026. Their main objective is to make operations in energy consumption while increasing speed and efficiency.
“The core idea is to move from electrical wiring to optical, inside data centers, between circuit boards in servers, between silicon packages on circuit boards, and eventually between the silicon die inside a package. We think we can revolutionize high-performance data transmission and computing by making this shift.” – C. Sean Lawrence
Addressing Challenges in Photonics
Though IOWN holds the promise of radical transformation, specialists recognize that significant hurdles still lie ahead for a completely optical system. Takasumi Tanabe, a professor of electronics and electrical engineering at Tokyo’s Keio University, emphasizes the complexities involved at the device level.
“At the device level, some aspects are more challenging,” – Takasumi Tanabe
Tanabe makes a valid point though – with technologies that are available today, it’s unlikely you’d get a completely all-optical system. That said, for future systems requiring low power consumption, high bandwidth, and low latency such as photonic technologies will be critical.
“A completely ‘all-optical’ system, in which electronics are removed entirely, may not be feasible with the current state of device physics. Electronics will still be necessary for control, modulation, and signal processing. Even so, I expect photonic devices to play an increasingly important role in the most critical parts of future systems.” – Takasumi Tanabe
Even with these hurdles, Tanabe thinks the core concepts behind IOWN are achievable and necessary to propel photonic technologies forward.
“While some elements are ambitious, the essential ideas behind IOWN are realistic, and the initiative has stimulated valuable advancements in photonic technologies.” – Takasumi Tanabe
The Future of Computing with AI Integration
As AI technology progresses, the convergence of AI and forward-thinking projects like IOWN will be more important than ever. Rubenstein shared his perspective that computing has come back to the forefront of technology conversations because of the rapid developments in AI.
“With the advent of AI,” Rubenstein adds, “Computing has returned to center of everything. If the AI boom slows, then the urgency will disappear. But if AI continues as it has done, in five years it will be much closer to that vision.” – Rubenstein
We are pleased to have shared this perspective on the urgent need for the IOWN initiative. Overall, it seeks to improve our data ecosystem to better meet the demands of rapidly advancing AI technologies.