Point2 Technologies will do just that with its pioneering e-Tube cable system, which stands to revolutionize data center efficiency. This new technology, with eight e-Tube fibers, has the capability to transmit well over 200 gigabits of data per second per fiber. This innovation not only offers greater connectivity but will ultimately save data centers money and energy.
The firm’s upcoming chips will enable an undersea cable with a capacity of 1.6 terabits per second, based on eight thin polymer waveguides. Each waveguide is capable of passing an astonishing 448 gigabits per second in two separate frequencies, 90 gigahertz and 225 GHz. Even more impressive, the new e-Tube cable is only half the area of the old 32-gauge copper cables! It can transmit data over distances up to 20 times farther than copper, allowing Point2 to truly be the game changer in the data transmission world.
Efficiency and Cost-Effectiveness
Point2’s groundbreaking technology does more than increase the speed of data transmission, it provides significant benefits in terms of power consumption and cost. This system draws just one-third of the power used by conventional optical systems. It’s one-third the cost, which is why it’s a great option for data centers that are ready to take their operations to the next level.
Point2’s system has industry-leading latency. Its performance improvements can be as high as one-thousandth of the latency of legacy systems – just mind-boggling. David Kuo is now helping steer Point2 through its next chapter. He points out that their second generation cable, fiber of about 200 microns in diameter, has accomplished very nice losses at just 0.3 dB per meter. This new level of efficiency makes Point2’s technology a real game changer. It promises to exceed the capabilities of traditional copper cables—not just in distance, but in quality.
“Customers love fiber. But what they hate is the photonics.” – Dave Welch
Pioneering Waveguide Technology
Point2’s partnership with AttoTude has played a significant role in waveguide technology development. AttoTude has designed the key components of the new e-Tube system. These assets—digital data chips, terahertz-signal generators, and circuit mixers—are essential to its operation. With these innovations, Point2 anticipates that their waveguide could effectively transmit data over distances reaching up to 20 meters without significant loss.
Dave Welch, founder and CEO of AttoTude emphasizes the opportunities that lie in going beyond what we know in optical wavelengths. He raises a pivotal question regarding the future of data transmission:
“If I didn’t have to be at [an optical wavelength], where should I be?” – Dave Welch
This example focuses on the opportunity for additional development in e-based systems which can provide greater assuredness than historical optics. Welch noted that electronics have always been more reliable than optical systems. This reliability has been a key ingredient in determining future expansion.
The Future of Data Transmission
Companies with the type of transformative energy that Point2 and AttoTude have brought to their data transmission fields are revolutionizing what’s possible. Don Barnetson, senior vice president & head of product at Credo, understands that the transition in technology is still in progress. He states:
“You start with passive copper, and you do everything you can to run in passive copper as long as you can.” – Don Barnetson
The telecommunications industry knows that copper has been the bedrock medium of all reliable data transmission. It is now slowly starting to make the leap towards better, more sophisticated technologies, like those that Point2 have developed.
Kuo introduces the notion of the “copper cliff.” He cautions that with demand for bandwidth increasing exponentially, the old copper-based solutions aren’t going to cut it. Point2’s e-Tube technology provides a powerful way to address this issue. That approach achieves what is needed today while planning and building for the future need for more capacity and efficiency.