Nvidia recently made some pretty exciting announcements regarding acceleration to deliver greater performance across its systems. By 2027, the firm will boost the number of graphics processing units (GPUs) per system from 72 to an incredible 576. This bold move addresses the growing appetites of data centers. It aims to foster innovation in more efficient and effective data transmission solutions. Luckily, companies like Nvidia and Broadcom are already hard at work building better systems. They are committed to making sure these systems are manufacturable and can be fielded in high-reliability processors.
Point2 Technology is leading the charge toward revolutionary data transmission. They are learning to marry radio technologies with data centers to stay ahead of a fast-moving technological frontier. Established nine years ago by veterans from prominent technology firms such as Marvell, Nvidia, and Samsung, Point2 Technology has garnered $55 million in venture funding, with significant investments from Molex, a well-known manufacturer of computer cables and connections.
Point2 Technology’s E-Tubes Revolutionize Connectivity
Point2 Technology has developed a revolutionary plug-free cable, e-Tubes. This patent-pending cable leverages a single silicon chip to convert unmodulated incoming digital data directly into modulated millimeter-wave frequencies. These frequencies are accurately and precisely reproduced, and they are then radiated through an antenna into an atmospheric waveguide. Installation-friendly The groundbreaking design of e-Tubes allows them to fit in half the space of a conventional 32-gauge copper cable. Additionally, they can go an incredible distance—up to 20 times farther!
This new technology has incredible promise for data centers. Way ahead of the curve, Point2’s system is unique in that it requires only one-third the power of conventional optical-based solutions. Best traffic relief per dollar invested. It’s a lot cheaper—costing just one-third as much. It can achieve latency times that are one-thousandth the latency currently found in optical systems. The initial deployment of Point2’s e-Tubes will directly plug individual GPUs into network switches. This technology innovation further unlocks the efficiency of scale-out networks.
“You start with passive copper, and you do everything you can to run in passive copper as long as you can.” – Don Barnetson
Point2’s technology is about to extend that reach beyond the last copper cable. It is capable of sustaining robust performance across distances ranging from 10 to 20 meters, all while delivering consistent signal integrity. Point2 recently demonstrated its power by transmitting data one-way over four meters at 970 GHz with a record spectral efficiency. This crown-jewel bold demonstration stole the show at last April’s Optical Fiber Communications Conference.
AttoTude, another field player, was born out of founder and CEO Dave Welch’s deep-dive into the world of photonics. The company has emphasized the development of specific pieces required for data to be transmitted, such as digital data chips and terahertz-signal generators. AttoTude imagines a world in which legacy copper wires and optical technologies coexist in perfect harmony. They provide a completely new way to do that, which fits like a glove with Point2 Technology’s mission.
Though both companies are aiming for easier data transmission, they are taking very different approaches to do so. While AttoTude’s innovations focus on improving photonics-based technologies, Point2 focuses more on radio-based solutions. Welch has observed that when customers love the fiber technology but tend to come in most annoyed by the photonics.
“Customers love fiber. But what they hate is the photonics.” – Dave Welch
“Electronics have been demonstrated to be inherently more reliable than optics.” – Dave Welch
The Future of Data Centers: A Shift Towards Radio Technologies
Data centers are driving demand for increased efficiency and performance. Companies like Point2 and AttoTude are just two examples of innovative thinkers who could change the way that data is transmitted today. At the same time, Nvidia is dramatically increasing its GPU capacity. Significant engineering breakthroughs from Point2 and Broadcom are pushing the industry to develop more reliable and effective solutions.
Nvidia and Broadcom have both recently released optics transceivers that are built to live in the same package with processors. This unique configuration greatly shortens the distance between electronics and optics from centimeters or meters to just micrometers, thereby facilitating the integration of the two functionalities. These innovations are a great example of a general movement towards more compact integration that increases performance and efficiency.
Point2’s e-Tubes and AttoTude’s photonics-based components form a potentially game-changing synergy. This pair of factors converge to create an unprecedented opportunity for data centers to improve their networking capabilities. Providing on-the-ground solutions by utilizing these emerging technologies, operators can achieve performance outcomes that meet their exponentially expanding performance and operational needs.
“If I didn’t have to be at [an optical wavelength], where should I be?” – Dave Welch