As data centers continue to expand to meet growing demand, the efficiency of their operations has become a focal point for technology innovators. Photonics technology is the absolutely essential catalyst for this evolution. It now takes up 10 percent of a data center’s compute spend. However, even with its benefits, photonics still faces major challenges such as temperature sensitivity and long-term reliability concerns.
AttoTude, with CEO Dave Welch at the helm, is taking a real whack at this problem. We’re thrilled to be part of IREM’s new SmartTech collaboration with Point2 Technology. Their goal is to create innovative solutions that will enhance data center performance. Simultaneously, they’re hoping to reduce the downsides associated with traditional photonics.
Challenges in Photonics Technology
Yet the incorporation of photonics into data centers has faced a plethora of challenges. A far more fundamental concern, the real showstopper, is the extreme sensitivity of this photonics technology to temperature variations. This sensitivity can have a huge impact on performance and stability, an especially important consideration for mission critical operations that depend on a guaranteed flow of data.
Manufacturing of these photonics chips requires precision down to micrometers. This precision is important to allow the highly efficient transmission of light in or out of these components. Yet this heightened level of precision is often not feasible in a production environment, increasing costs and creating obstacles to effectively scaling operations.
Welch has done some deep diving into these challenges. He’s convinced that addressing them is going to be the key to the future of data centers. He notes, “Customers love fiber. What they hate is the photonics.” This sentiment echoes the widespread industry fear that optical components are inherently more unreliable than their electronic counterparts.
“Electronics have been demonstrated to be inherently more reliable than optics.” – Dave Welch
Long-term reliability continues to be a reputational bugbear for photonics technology, preventing its wider uptake into mission-critical settings such as data centers. As firms rush to make the most effective use of their compute coffers, doing so must address these challenges head-on.
Innovations from Point2 Technology and AttoTude
Point2 Technology and AttoTude have been collaborating on a pathbreaking, revolutionary solution that brings together the best features of both copper and photonics. Their groundbreaking e-Tube cables consist of eight fibers, with each fiber sending more than 200 gigabits data per second. This high-capacity design is expected to massively increase data transfer speeds while ensuring robustness.
In practice, the e-Tube cables are incredibly efficient with losses of only 0.3 decibels per meter. With regard to performance and audiovisual quality, they even surpass traditional Active Electrical Cables (AECs). Point2’s waveguide technology allows them to send and receive data over distances exceeding 20 meters. This amazing ability far exceeds what is possible through traditional training.
Semiconductor heavyweights such as Nvidia and Broadcom are making big investments in optical transceiver technologies. These changes combine to form a particularly ripe environment for innovation. Both companies have developed optical transceivers integrated in processor packages. This unique design maintains electronics and optics only a few micrometers apart, enhancing performance and overcoming various intrinsic constraints posed by photonics.
“If I didn’t have to be at [an optical wavelength], where should I be?” – Dave Welch
Point2’s collaboration with AttoTude is going to break all the old industry paradigms. Their aim is to lead in so-called hybrid solutions that leverage both copper and photonics. Their stated mission is to provide data centers with powerful alternatives that are fast to implement and easy to use.
The Future of Data Transmission
The demand for higher, faster and more reliable data transmission solutions is at an all-time high. Credo’s Don Barnetson describes some of the outstanding progress that’s been made in this area. His company has now created an AEC that can provide 800 Gb/s over a distance of 7 meters or more. As demand for bandwidth keeps climbing at an accelerating pace, these innovations aren’t merely impressive—they’re vital.
Point2’s e-Tube cables have an extraordinary space efficiency, occupying only 50% of the volume of same AEC comparable cables. They provide superior performance, with 20 times further reach than traditional 32-gauge copper cables. The e-Tube has shrunk considerably in size while expanding its capabilities. This efficiency, in turn, makes it a compelling option for data centers looking to save valuable space while maintaining high performance.
“You start with passive copper, and you do everything you can to run in passive copper as long as you can.” – Don Barnetson
All of these advanced technologies will improve the way we build and operate data centers. They provide data centers with innovative capabilities that maximize efficiency and address key complexities of photonics.