Technology Industry veterans from Marvell, Nvidia, and Samsung founded Point2 Technology nine years ago. Now, the company is poised to change the game in data center efficiency with its innovative e-Tube cable. The firm largely led the company’s $55 million of venture funding. Its aim is to develop a neural system that would be able to transmit data through at least 20m while consuming less power and lowering latency. This unique approach will provide unparalleled performance and efficiency for today’s demanding data centers. Perhaps best of all, it does so at just a fraction of the cost of typical optical solutions.
The e-Tube cable sports a pretty nifty design feature. It utilizes an advanced single silicon chip that transforms any incoming digital data into modulated millimeter-wave frequencies. Point2 Technology has developed an exclusive waveguide technology that allows data to travel over distances of more than 20 meters. This innovation is far superior to traditional approaches. The company’s system consumes only a third of the energy of optical cables while being a third of the cost. It provides latency that is up to one thousandth of what today’s technologies can deliver.
The Power of the e-Tube Cable
Point2 Technology’s e-Tube cable is designed with specifications that have the potential to revolutionize data transmission. At each end of the cable, a single silicon chip is connected to its own antenna. This arrangement projects across the waveguide, allowing for movement of the data at high efficiency. Last April, the company knocked attendees’ socks off at the Optical Fiber Communications Conference in… They went on to successfully transmit a 4-meter-long signal at a record high frequency of 970 GHz.
Additionally, the new second-generation e-Tube cable is designed with fibers that are just 200 micrometers thick. Incorporated advanced design features produce extraordinary performance with losses lowered to as little as 0.3 decibels per meter. It far exceeds the capabilities of existing copper based cables. The e-Tube cable’s small footprint occupies just a quarter the space of an equivalent AEC cable. This capability alone provides one of the most compelling features to enhance data centers looking to maximize their real estate.
Dave Welch, a key figure at Point2 Technology, noted the advantages of fiber over copper: “Customers love fiber. But what they hate is the photonics.” He emphasized that consumers seek reliable and efficient solutions for data transmission without the complications associated with traditional optical systems.
Meeting the Demands of Modern Data Centers
In a recent blog post, Nvidia acknowledges this need for more performance in data centers. To run an accelerated AI workload, the company is increasing the maximum number of GPUs allowed per system from 72 to 576 by 2027. As the world’s data demands continue to grow, so will the need for smart solutions including Point2 Technology’s e-Tube cable. This technology does more than respond to today’s demands, it looks ahead with an eye towards increasing capacity and efficiently carrying out the work.
Point2 Technology has done a remarkable job of placing itself at the cutting edge of this evolution. Even further, integrating their e-Tube cable into data centers can reduce power use by 64 percent. Meanwhile, it is able to keep all the high-speed data transfer capacities. As Don Barnetson pointed out, “You start with passive copper, and you do everything you can to run in passive copper as long as you can.” Point2’s technology is proving to be a game-changer. Now it stands to deliver a long-awaited real replacement that leaves copper cables in the dust, both in terms of reach and efficiency.
The new e-Tube cable can easily extend 10 to 20 meters. With only the slightest drop in performance, it stands out as the best choice for today’s data centers. The design overcomes many of the shortcomings of legacy copper and optical solutions. It’s a smart, common sense way to give people a real practical alternative.
Future Innovations on the Horizon
Point2 Technology is preparing to start manufacturing the chips that will go into a pioneering 1.6-terabit-per-second cable. This novel cable would contain eight thin polymer waveguides. This new development offers the potential for even higher performance while still taking up less real estate than traditional cables.
Their 1.6-terabits-per-second e-Tube cable features half the diameter of a 32-gauge copper cable. It can be worse, up to 20 times worse. This innovation marks the beginning of comparing a powerful new standard for data transmission technology in which efficiency and reliability come first.
As Welch aptly put it, “Electronics have been demonstrated to be inherently more reliable than optics.” As a company, Point2 Technology has always been focused on creating innovative solutions that put quality first. Or, more commonly, they just stretch the limits of existing technology.