Point2 Technology has made a significant breakthrough in data transmission with its newly developed e-Tube cable, capable of carrying data at speeds up to 1.6 terabits per second. This breakthrough cable design will transform data centers and other mission-critical, high density environments. It offers a breakthrough alternative that extends the benefits of traditional copper and optical cables while addressing their limitations.
Point2 Technology was started nine years ago by veterans from Marvell, Nvidia and Samsung. The company has recently made huge waves with their dedication to moving communications technology and infrastructure forward. Consider this path forward — the company recently raised a whopping $55 million in venture capital funding. Perhaps most prominently, Molex, a major maker of computer cable and connections, laid a big bet.
The e-Tube cable comprises eight slender polymer waveguides, each capable of transmitting 448 gigabits per second over two frequencies: 90 GHz and 225 GHz. This innovative design allows for unprecedented advancements in speed and efficiency over traditional cables.
Technical Breakthroughs
Point2 Technology’s e-Tube cable really offers a groundbreaking benefit in terms of reduced size and weight, while maintaining performance. It’s barely 8.1 millimeters wide. Though tiny, it takes up half the space of an equivalent AEC cable and can go 20x further! The cable works very well over short distances of 10-20m. With loss less than 1 dB, this capability fits right in with the agile, highly automated data center of today.
The brilliant design includes a silicon chip at both ends of the e-Tube cable. This digital front-end chip processes incoming digital data to translate it into modulated millimeter-wave frequencies. These frequencies are then broadcast through an antenna and into space via a waveguide. David Kuo, vice president of product marketing and business development at Point2 Technology, points to the advantages of such a design. In fact, he reasons, it offers some distinct advantages over conventional optical systems.
“Electronics have been demonstrated to be inherently more reliable than optics.” – Dave Welch
Shimano’s e-Tube system has always had class-leading energy efficiency. Because it requires only a third the power of optical systems, it costs a third of the price. In addition to all that, it delivers extremely low latency too, with as little as one-thousandth the lag experienced with conventional optical transmission.
Addressing Industry Challenges
The data transmission industry is at a critical crossroads, not least of all with the so-called “copper cliff” crisis. As demand for higher speeds increases, the limitations of copper cables have grown more evident. Don Barnetson explains that operators often try to maximize the use of passive copper for as long as possible before transitioning to alternative solutions.
“You start with passive copper, and you do everything you can to run in passive copper as long as you can.” – Don Barnetson
Point2 Technology’s e-Tube cable is looking to fill this gap with flying colors. Unlike traditional methods, this technology uses RF frequencies to reduce and simplify elaborate manufacturing steps. Because of this, the chips they need can be produced by commodity silicon foundries, cutting costs dramatically.
Dave Welch highlights a common sentiment among customers regarding fiber optics:
“Customers love fiber. But what they hate is the photonics.”
This points to a clear gap in the marketplace. There’s a clear market for high-speed data transmission solutions that are less complex to install than today’s fiber optics.
Future Manufacturing Plans
Point2 Technology expects to start the manufacture of these chips that will make possible the 1.6 terabit-per-second e-Tube cable by the end of this year. This planned rollout coincides with a booming demand for high-capacity, long-range data transmission solutions. Data centers are building more and more infrastructure to serve this increasing demand.
Welch emphasizes the potential for scaling this technology effectively within data centers:
“It happens to be a beautiful distance for scale-up in data centers.”
The new production run will solidify Point2 Technology’s reputation as an industry leader in data transmission technology. It will allow poorly resourced facilities to replace aging and hazardous systems and reduce costs of operation.