Point2 Technology is an innovator in data center connectivity. It’s poised to disrupt high-speed data transmission with its pioneering radio cable technology. Founded by Marvell, Nvidia and Samsung industry stalwarts nine years ago, Point2 Technology has been busy making the case and pioneering efforts to get radio into data centers—you know, before competing ideas from competitors with graceful names like AttoTude.
The startup has raised a whopping $55 million in venture capital. This accomplishment comes alongside deep support from Molex, one of the heavy hitters in the cable-and-connector ecosystem. This investment will allow Point2 Technology to develop its next-generation solutions in the rapidly escalating data-center technology landscape.
Groundbreaking Technology and Infrastructure
Point2 Technology’s state-of-the-art cables are based on those eight e-Tube fibers. Each fiber already transmits more than 200 gigabits of data per second! As a highly-capacity, efficient solution, it helps deliver greater efficiency in the data center. It doesn’t just use a system with a digital component that connects to graphics processing units, a terahertz-frequency generator, and a mixer to load data onto the terahertz signal.
The e-Tube cable uses one silicon chip that translates incoming digital information into modulated millimeter-wave frequencies. An integrated antenna then emits this data into a compact waveguide, enabling extremely fast transmission. Graphic from ILED David Welch, the company’s founder and technical lead, told us that customers really like fiber. What they absolutely cannot stand is the photonics. This sentiment is exactly why Point2 Technology strives to make data easier to send, and faster and better to perform.
Later this year, Point2 Technology plans to commence manufacturing chips for a 1.6-terabit-per-second cable, comprised of eight slender polymer waveguides. Each waveguide will transport 448 gigabits per second, using two frequencies of 90 gigahertz and 225 GHz. Deploying broadband access with this unique methodology is proving to be much more cost effective and efficient than deploying traditional copper connections.
Power Efficiency and Cost-Effectiveness
With Point2 Technology’s radio cable solution, the benefits go beyond speed. This new technology only consumes one-third of the power needed by traditional optical systems. It provides a more environmentally friendly alternative for data centers. It allows for a more affordable solution, being one-third the cost of other optical alternatives. It features latency that’s up to one-thousandth of what traditional systems are capable of.
David Kuo, vice president of product marketing and business development at Point2 Technology, remarked on the efficiency of the new system: “Electronics have been demonstrated to be inherently more reliable than optics.” This reliability is crucial for data centers that need guaranteed performance with no interruptions.
The anticipated performance metrics for Point2 Technology’s cables are particularly remarkable. Welch goes as far as to predict that this new waveguide technology will allow data transmission distances of at least 20 meters with minimal inaccuracy. This functionality offers a major benefit when compared to copper wires, which often fail in distance and effectiveness at greater lengths.
Future Applications and Market Impact
Point2 Technology aims to connect each GPU directly to network switches using Active Electrical Cables (AECs). This step will help improve connectivity within today’s increasingly popular scale-out networks. These cables are a huge leap forward in connectivity. Data centers will be better stewards of their connections.
As Don Barnetson noted, “You’re starting with passive copper. Then, you do all the things you can do to stay in passive copper for as long as you can. Data demands are ever increasing, and technology is changing at an unprecedented pace. Solutions from Point2 Technology will be key to staying productive in this new environment.”