Point2 Technology was started nearly nine years ago by industry veterans from Marvell, Nvidia, and Samsung. The company’s goal is to change the way data centers talk to each other with its innovative radio technology. Those partnerships have helped the company raise $55 million in venture capital from a broad list of investors, including Molex. This funding will enable Point2 Technology to leapfrog data-sharing technology within data centers. It’s a straightforward response to an increasing public demand for improved quality and speed of communication.
The company’s flagship product, the e-Tube cable, is a revolution in cable technology. The fully loaded e-Tube has an unobtrusive diameter of just 8.1 millimeters and provides state-of-the-art data transmission performance occupying one half the volume of a similar AEC cable. In addition, e-Tube technology allows data transmission of up to 20 meters. This transformative technology addresses obstacles historically associated with legacy copper cabling.
The e-Tube Revolution
Point2 Technology’s e-Tube cable uses a patented waveguide-based technology that, when adopted, stands to outperform standard copper cables by a factor of 50. Each cable is made up of eight very thin strings of polymers waveguides, allowing for a data transfer speed of up to 1.6 terabits per second. Silicon chips smartly engineered and integrated at both ends of the cable allow it to be faster and more effective than anything ever created. They take digital data coming in and modulate that information onto millimeter-wave frequencies.
David Kuo is vice president of product marketing and business development at Point2 Technology. He painted a rosy picture of this exciting new technology.
“The copper cliff is becoming increasingly apparent as data demands grow. Our e-Tube cable bridges the gap and provides a solution that not only matches but exceeds the capabilities of traditional copper.” – David Kuo
The e-Tube weighs less than half a 32-gauge copper cable’s footprint. It provides up to 20 times the throughput, making it a more attractive alternative for data centers looking to maximize both space and performance.
Collaboration and Development
Point2 Technology’s development of the e-Tube has involved collaboration with engineers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. Their outstanding work is honored in the IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits. Read on to learn a little more about the technical rigor that fuels their innovative design. Point2 Technology is committed to combining skills from multiple sciences. This partnership is representative of their ongoing focus to innovating within the data center space.
While the company’s overall philosophy promotes compromise between current technologies, their approach is making big strides in introducing fundamentally novel ideas. This strategy helps Point2 Technology remain competitive by providing the right solutions that customers are demanding and filling the gaps left behind by traditional methods.
This third sentiment shines a light on the often difficult task of trying to work cutting edge technologies into traditional, legacy systems. Point2 Technology’s commitment to making this process easier could be a key factor in pushing advanced cable systems’ adoption further.
“Customers love fiber. But what they hate is the photonics.” – Dave Welch
As the data center industry presses on through constant innovation, businesses are more than ever looking for solutions that allow them to scale businesses without sacrificing efficiency or reliability. Point2 Technology’s innovations couldn’t have arrived at a better moment, as more and more telecom and utility professionals seek active solutions to replace passive copper offerings. Don Barnetson highlighted the industry’s ongoing reliance on copper technologies:
The Future of Data Centers
The e-Tube is a great improvement, offering more performance and reliability. This innovative program is one way to ease many of these burdens.
“You start with passive copper, and you do everything you can to run in passive copper as long as you can.” – Don Barnetson
Point2 Technology has begun chip production to support manufacturing of the e-Tube cable. Industry proponents are eagerly anticipating how these innovations will improve data center efficiencies. Point2 Technology has recently teamed up with Molex, a global leader in the cable-and-connector world’s ecosystem. This partnership further solidifies Point2’s power-play position in a immensely competitive market.
As Point2 Technology begins manufacturing its chips for the e-Tube cable, industry stakeholders are keenly observing how these advancements will impact data center operations. The collaboration with Molex, a key player in the cable-and-connector ecosystem, further solidifies Point2 Technology’s position in an increasingly competitive market.