Point2 Technology today officially announced its e-Tube cable, the only truly smart flexible cabling, set to dramatically improve data center flexibility and efficiency. This new optic cable crams eight simplex polymer optic waveguides into a single cable. Each one sends data at a mind-boggling rate of 448 gigabits per second on two different frequencies – 90 gigahertz and 225 gigahertz. In addition to gas and liquid transportation, the e-Tube provides an impressive data transmission rate of 1.6 terabits per second. This exciting new technology will dramatically change the future of high-speed data communications.
This innovative technology is remarkably small. It supercharges performance to speeds 30 times faster than legacy copper cabling. The e-Tube cable has one half the cross section of a 32-gauge copper cable. It can increase its impact up to 20 times further! It requires just a third of the energy usage of optical systems. It’s a fraction of the cost of traditional alternatives and provides latency rates that are at least one-thousandth of conventional technologies.
The release of the e-Tube cable couldn’t come at a more critical time, as the need for bandwidth is growing exponentially. Point2 Technology this year will begin manufacturing the chips required for the group’s 1.6-terabit-per-second cable. Among those excited by the cable’s potential applications and implications are industry leaders.
A New Approach to Data Transmission
Unlike traditional copper or optical fibers, Point2 Technology’s e-Tube takes a different approach using polymer waveguides. The company’s star has attracted extraordinary interest from investors. The startup recently raised $55 million in venture capital, with major investments from Molex, best known as a manufacturer of computer cables and connectors.
We talked to David Kuo, vice president of product marketing and business development at Point2 Technology, to find out what fueled the need for this innovation. He referred to it as the copper cliff,” he said, describing the troubles that established copper wires run as they hit their bandwidth constricting. Recognizing the increasing need for data capacity with demands exponentially rising, Kuo noted that a new paradigm was required to keep pace with future needs.
AttoTude, another major developer in the area, has been working hand-in-hand with Point2 Technology on this undertaking. David Welch, founder of AttoTude and a worldwide expert in photonics, focused on the shared benefits of their collective work. “Customers love fiber. But what they hate is the photonics,” he stated, indicating a gap in customer satisfaction that their new technology aims to bridge.
Its unique characteristics echo the broader industry trend toward reducing power usage while increasing performance. As companies like Nvidia and Broadcom deploy optical transceivers integrated within processors, Point2 Technology’s offering provides an alternative that could challenge the status quo.
Addressing Industry Challenges
The new e-Tube cable can deliver a number of performance benefits. This is especially welcome and needed right now as many organizations are hitting the limits of what existing technologies can do. This week, Don Barnetson, senior vice president and head of product at Credo, shared some thrilling news. His company has developed an Active Electrical Cable (AEC) that can support up to 800 Gb/s over 7 meters. At the same time he marveled at the limitations built into old materials and designs.
“You start with passive copper, and you do everything you can to run in passive copper as long as you can,” Barnetson mentioned. This statement underscores the industry’s reliance on existing technologies while highlighting the necessity for innovation that can overcome their shortcomings.
Welch further pointed out that electronics had demonstrated themselves to be more reliable than optics, dispelling common misconceptions surrounding optical technologies. “Electronics have been demonstrated to be inherently more reliable than optics,” he remarked, pointing out a significant advantage for Point2 Technology’s e-Tube solution.
With the increasing demand for data bandwidth, the industry needs to face the reliability problems that are built into the technologies they currently use. Welch noted that today’s customers are suffering deeply from “link flap.” This term emphasizes the famous lack of reliability of photonics technology.
Future Prospects
Point2 Technology to unlock the possible! We see our e-Tube cable not only satisfying, but exceeding the current and future demands of 21st century data centers. Welch estimates that the waveguide would be able to transport data for up to 20 meters without loss of performance. This specialized capability truly unlocks a world of uses in industries from construction to agriculture.
AttoTude and Point2 Technology have partnered to develop specialized components that dramatically accelerate overall system performance. The most recent of their inventions are high-resolution digital data chips and sophisticated terahertz-signal generators. This unified strategy streamlines the flow, use and potential of data with greater efficiency and processing power.
Point2 Technology proudly introduces the e-Tube cable. This decision puts New York at the very front of the unfolding future of how people will get data across the globe. As they prepare for manufacturing later this year, stakeholders across the industry will be closely monitoring developments and potential applications of this groundbreaking innovation.