In this changing narrative, Point2 Technology is a pioneering company that was founded by ex-Marvell, ex-Nvidia and ex-Samsung veterans. It has rapidly become a key player in driving data center efficiency. The company was created about nine years ago. Since then, it has released industry-leading e-Tube technology that lowers power consumption, cost, and latency by leaps and bounds over optics. With $55 million in venture funding and critical backing from Molex, Point2 Technology is poised to transform how data centers manage and transmit data.
The firm’s e-Tube cables are designed to draw just a third of the energy usually required by optical networks. Further, these cables are priced at roughly one-third the price of comparable optical technology. This unique combination of affordability and efficiency is a game changing opportunity for data centers looking to improve their operational efficiencies.
Point2 Technology’s innovation extends beyond power savings. The e-Tube cables provide astonishing performance with one-thousandth the latency of current optical technology. As the demand for faster data transmission continues to grow, Point2’s advancements could reshape the industry’s future.
Technical Specifications of e-Tube Cables
Point2 Technology’s e-Tube cables are made up of eight custom high-performance e-Tube fibers. Each fiber is capable of transmitting more than 200 gigabits of data per second! This amazing bandwidth is particularly important in an age where data demand is growing exponentially. These cables feature an ultra-slim profile, just 8.1mm wide. That’s half the volume of comparable AEC cables, and they are still capable of lengths of up to 20 meters.
The innovation doesn’t end with the dimensions and capacity. At each end of the e-Tube cable, there’s a small silicon chip that takes the incoming digital information and translates it into modulated millimeter-wave frequencies. An antenna subsequently transmits these frequencies into the waveguide, allowing for rapid data transmission. This design takes full advantage of the latest 28-nanometer CMOS process technology. Engineers from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology KAIST were instrumental in its creation.
David Kuo, vice president of product marketing and business development at Point2 Technology, emphasizes the importance of this technology in modern data centers. “Customers love fiber. But what they hate is the photonics,” he stated, highlighting a common challenge faced by operators in the industry.
Industry Impact and Future Developments
Point2 Technology’s industry impact would be huge even if it were more narrowly focused at millimeter-wave frequencies. This technological facet has proven that electronics can offer far superior reliability than optical systems. As Dave Welch notes, “Electronics have been demonstrated to be inherently more reliable than optics.” This reliability aspect is especially important to mission-critical data centers that run continuously around the clock with zero downtime tolerance.
With the company’s soon-to-begin manufacturing of chips for a 1.6-terabit-per-second optical cable, that market share position will get even stronger. The new design has eight slim polymer waveguides. This innovation adds depth to their product offering and answers the critical demand for higher capacity data transmission.
“If I didn’t have to be at [an optical wavelength], where should I be?” – Dave Welch
This deceptively simple question stands at the core of Point2 Technology’s mission to change the way data is transmitted. By shifting the paradigm away from conventional optical wavelengths, they carve out substantial opportunities to beat the competition on efficiency and performance.
Strategic Partnerships and Market Position
We believe this partnership is key to Point2 Technology’s commercial success. As a leader in the cable-and-connector ecosystem, Molex serves a critical role that reinforces Point2’s competitive advantage. Their partnership means that through Point2’s smart solutions, the greatest ideas can truly reach customers efficiently and scale smoothly to evolve with other technologies and infrastructure.
With sustained investment and smart collaborations, Point2 Technology will be in the Vortex’s sweet spot to continue being at the forefront of making data center operations more efficient. The need for smart, effective, proven technology that gets people moving quickly and more cost-effectively has never been greater. Point2’s creative solutions are uniquely poised to address these needs head-on.
