Nvidia has announced a grand vision to supercharge its data processing powers. By 2027, the company plans to increase the maximum number of GPUs per system from 72 to a mind-boggling 576. This significant leap in processing power is part of a broader trend among technology firms to upgrade infrastructure for better efficiency. As these changes happen, companies like AttoTude and Point2 Technology are at the forefront of photonics and data transmission technologies. Through these efforts, they are creating groundbreaking models that will disrupt the data center business as usual.
AttoTude, led by CEO and co-founder Dave Welch AttoTude, grew out of years of research into photonics. The firm has created important pieces for photonic systems, such as digital data chips and terahertz-signal generators. Yet a significant barrier to their success is making accurate, repeatable matches between optical fibers and waveguides on photonic chips. At the same time, this task requires an accuracy of micrometers. This challenge is a major theme for AttoTude, as it looks to further develop its technologies.
Credo’s Don Barnetson has reported some pretty exciting strides in active electrical cables (AECs). These new cables are capable of providing speeds of up to 800 Gb/s across distances of seven meters. These innovations arrive at a time where the demand for quicker and more efficient data transfer is at an all-time high. This demand only increases with the rising workloads in data centers.
The Shift towards Photonic Systems
The technology landscape is changing, as companies are scrambling to enhance data handling capabilities. Nvidia’s plan to increase GPU count exemplifies the industry’s push to meet escalating demands for processing power. Achieving this goal requires significant engineering efforts from manufacturers like Nvidia and Broadcom, who have invested considerable resources into ensuring these systems can be produced reliably.
“The entire reason people have gone to liquid cooling is to keep scaling up in passive copper.” – Don Barnetson
This move towards more data capacity lays bare the weaknesses of traditional copper-based systems, sometimes called the “copper cliff.” Now companies are starting to go beyond copper passive solutions to realize the full advantages of optical technology.
AttoTude’s study shows that customers welcome the benefits of fiber optics, but often tell us how photonics irritate them. According to Welch, “Customers love fiber. What they hate is the photonics.” This frustration highlights the continued need for proven solutions that make integration easier and improve reliability.
The biggest challenge that remains is in overcoming skepticism about the reliability of optical systems versus electronic systems. Welch points out that “Electronics have been demonstrated to be inherently more reliable than optics,” suggesting that further development in photonic technology must prioritize dependability to gain wider acceptance.
Breakthroughs in Data Transmission
Point2 Technology has become a leader in the high-performance transmission cable that has come to dominate the field. Their e-Tube cable is made up of eight independent e-Tube fibers, each one capable of transmitting more than 200 gigabits worth of data per second. This state-of-the-art design minimizes physical space needs while maximizing transmission efficiency.
Point2’s cables use only half the space of a standard copper 32-gauge cable. They increase outreach by a factor of up to 20 times! The company claims that their electronic system consumes one-third the power compared to what’s required by optical systems. It’s much less expensive and provides latency that is as low as one-thousandth of existing optical solutions.
Point2 expects to begin chip production later this year. These chips will help enable a transformative undersea cable, employing up to 1.6 terabits per second over just eight thin polymer waveguides. This cutting-edge development is truly a pioneering leap in the race to keep pace with the ever-growing need for high-speed data transmission.
“If I didn’t have to be at [an optical wavelength], where should I be?” – Dave Welch
This question points to an increasing interest in leveraging nontraditional optical wavelengths. Further development of technologies through this type of exploration and experimentation could lead to even more efficient transmission technologies.
Future Prospects and Challenges Ahead
As the private sector races to innovate in the burgeoning world of wireless data transmission, a number of hurdles still exist. A significant challenge is ensuring that manufacturing new technologies can be replicated consistently while minimizing variability from a performance standpoint. The engineering marvels needed to add all of these systems onto costly processors is a daunting task for automakers.
Welch sees promising advances in waveguide technology that should allow data to be transmitted through waveguides over distances of at least 20 meters. Once all of this is achieved, this will represent a new paradigm in how data centers manage connectivity across devices.
AttoTude have made real breakthroughs that demonstrate the benefits of working in (RF) radio frequency ranges. These advances enable chip makers to manufacture semiconductors with widely available, commodity silicon fabs. This has the potential to streamline production workflows and lower the expense of producing intricate optical parts.
“The real prize is finding ways to make these systems work together seamlessly,” – Dave Welch
This ambitious vision displayed the industry leaders’ long-term vision. Their goal is to come up with holistic solutions that best leverage the strengths of both electronic and optical technologies.
