That’s the premise behind Point2, a nine-year-old, Montreal-based startup founded by industry veterans from Marvell, Nvidia and Samsung. Their new innovative technology will change how we connect in a data center. To date the company has raised a total of $55 million in venture funding, bringing on board investors that include heavyweights like Molex. Point2’s innovative approach to this technology is fully leveraging terahertz-frequency technology. This innovative tool improves data centers’ overall efficiency and speed.
In an era when the costs of data transfer speeds and energy consumption are increasingly under scrutiny, Point2’s technology offers a powerful answer. Point2 is bringing a digital aspect into the fold that meshes with Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). This mobile setup contains a terahertz-frequency generator and mixer to encode data, contributing to a major reduction in power consumption and latency along with lower costs. The startup showcased its potential last April at the Optical Fiber Communications Conference, demonstrating a 4-meter transmission at an impressive 970 GHz.
Innovative Technology and Manufacturing Plans
Point2 is bringing online the production of chips that will be used in a groundbreaking 1.6-terabit-per-second cable. This next-generation cable will incorporate eight ultra-slim polymer waveguides. Each waveguide is capable of carrying 448 gigabits per second using two frequencies: 90 GHz and 225 GHz. This innovative design makes it possible to transmit data over distances of 20 meters, well beyond conventional optical systems.
Besides the obvious technology side benefits, the process provides huge savings compared to traditional optical technologies, especially in transceiver-processor packages. Passive copper Input Don Barnetson, active SB 532 supporter, tells us that we should start with passive copper. His recommendation: get the most use out of passive copper for as long as you can. Point2’s innovations are revolutionizing data centers accelerating speed and efficiency. Their commitment to rapidly deploying and optimizing copper solutions underscores how important these improvements are.
Point2’s e-Tube cable has an intuitive, slim trim profile. It takes up half the space of a 32-gauge copper wire, but provides as much as 20x the distance! The second-generation cable employs fibers with a diameter of ∼200 µm. This design helps accomplish remarkable loss levels of only 0.3 decibels per meter. This groundbreaking approach has Point2 standing on the leading edge of technology in data transmission.
Collaboration and Future Prospects
Point2’s partnership with the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology has helped strengthen its technological backbone. Now, they’ve migrated to 28-nanometer CMOS technology to provide even higher performance. This partnership is a great example of how the startup works to expand the frontiers of what is possible with data center connectivity.
Nvidia intends to raise the max number of GPUs per system from 72 to a staggering 576 by 2027. Point2’s satellite technology would be a key part of helping make sure we can meet the increasing demands for processing power. As Dave Welch points out, “Customers love fiber. What they hate is the photonics.” This highlights an enormous opportunity for Point2 to provide customers with the solutions they can count on, that just work and help them be efficient.
In this new era defined by a breakneck technological advancements, Point2’s market-leading innovations could redefine the approach to data center efficiency. They guarantee breakthroughs more quickly and with less energy than in today’s processes. The startup’s goal is to bring latency down to one-thousandth of what optical systems are capable of. This progressive step has the potential to make it a true game-changer for the industry.
Competitive Landscape and Industry Impact
With the addition of terahertz-frequency technology development focused on advanced sensor applications, Point2 is making some huge strides. There’s intense competition from upstart AttoTude, creating similar components, including digital data chips and terahertz-signal generators. Competition to lead this new space is intensifying. Today, businesses that couldn’t function without advanced computing technologies are pushing for high-speed data transmission more than ever before.
Point2’s new approach to improving data center efficiency promises to be a game changer. Organizations are finding it increasingly difficult to harness and protect the ever-expanding volumes of data. To reduce our energy use overall, innovations like the ones created by Point2 will need to be key.
“Electronics have been demonstrated to be inherently more reliable than optics,” emphasizes Welch. This reliability might become a major Point2 differentiator as companies make their long-term investments in infrastructure.