AttoTude, under CEO Dave Welch’s leadership, is a forward-thinking technology company. With their new waveguide technology, they are indeed going quite far in optical data transfer. AttoTude takes inspiration from Welch’s extensive research in the field of photonics. Smart enough to link existing systems, smart enough to create and deploy new solutions, smart enough to revolutionize entire data centers. The company’s goal is to make data transmission more energy efficient as the demands on bandwidth continue to explode in today’s high-performance computing environments.
Welch envisions the as-yet unpatented waveguide will one day allow data transmission over long distances of up to 20 meters. This is a welcome development, particularly given the enormous bandwidth needs that are still going through the roof. AttoTude works with Point2 Technology to bring our shared vision of a connected world to life. Collectively, they’re crafting an answer that mixes established technologies with distinctly Hawaiian flavors.
The Technological Breakthroughs
AttoTude has successfully created individual components crucial for effective data transfer, including a digital data chip, a terahertz-signal generator, and a circuit designed for mixing signals. The creation of multiple generations of waveguides is a testament to the company’s belief in and innovation of this technology.
In mid-April, AttoTude capped off its month of good news by winning the top prize at the prestigious Optical Fiber Communications Conference in San Francisco. They demonstrated a 4-meter transmission that works at a mind-blowing frequency of 970 GHz. With their capability of providing more than enough bandwidth to support up to 224 Gb/s transmission, this proof-of-concept helped showcase the possibilities of their technology.
Welch underscored the importance of the second-generation cable, which contains fibers 200 µm in diameter. He also pointed out that this advancement demonstrates a system is capable of losses as low as 0.3 dB/m. This reflects about a 91% improvement in data transmission efficiency.
“Customers love fiber. But what they hate is the photonics.” – Dave Welch
This simple statement captures the stark reality many in the industry deal with as they try to harness the potential of photonic systems. Welch’s observations highlight the goal of AttoTude to create an easy-to-use interface that produces world-class results.
The Role of Point2 Technology
Point2 Technology is proud to be at the forefront of this technological revolution, offering the latest in advanced cabling solutions. According to David Kuo, vice president of product marketing and business development at Point2, as bandwidth demands on copper cables approach the terabit-per-second realm, “physics demands that they be made shorter and thicker.” This assertion highlights the growing need for an innovation in cabling technology to support today’s demands.
Point2’s e-Tube cables have eight fibers, with each transmitting more than 200 gigabits per second. This design allows for massive data throughput without sacrificing a small-footprint design. The e-Tube cable, fiber optic, provides a staggering 1.6 terabits per second. It takes up just one-third the space of a conventional 32-gauge copper cable and runs up to 20 times the distance.
Each end of Point2’s e-Tube cable already features a silicon chip. This chip takes the incoming stream of digital data and converts it into modulated millimeter-wave frequencies. An antenna then injects these frequencies into the waveguide, producing an exceptional transmission system due largely to its efficiency.
“You start with passive copper, and you do everything you can to run in passive copper as long as you can.” – Don Barnetson
Barnetson’s point of view showcases the shift from traditional copper based networks to next generation solutions as expectations for performance continues to increase.
Future Applications and Industry Impact
The possible uses for this kind of technology are nearly limitless. The immediate application of Advanced Electronic Connectors (AECs) will be more straightforward, connecting discrete GPUs to network switches. Most importantly, this will occur within scale-out networks. This provision is especially important to organizations looking to run the most efficiently advanced computing resources.
Credo has become a real leader and major force in this space. They’ve designed an AEC that is capable of transmitting 800 Gb/s over a distance of 7 meters. Such innovations hold the potential to dramatically improve data transfer rates across all industries, from cloud computing to AI-powered applications.
The data demands are growing exponentially. Innovative companies such as AttoTude and Point2 are helping to raise the bar, developing the type of solutions and services that go beyond existing standards. 6248 Innovations in waveguide technology are changing the game. Advanced cabling systems are ushering in a new era of greater efficiency and reliability in the transfer of data.