Point2 Technology, a Spokane-based startup aiming to improve how data is transmitted around the world, recently made national headlines. They’re prototyping new e-Tube cables that will make data centers mightily more efficient. These cables leverage Don’s state-of-the-art technology. They sport eight of the e-Tube fibers, with each fiber able to carry more than 200 gigabits of data per second. This innovation has the potential to meet the exploding bandwidth needs that have been taxing aged copper infrastructure.
The traffic carried by the e-Tube cable is incredibly less, too, at only one-half the cross-sectional area of a 32-gauge standard copper cable. It has a stellar reach, extending up to 20 times the distance of typical copper cables. Point2 Technology is on ramp to fab chips for a record-breaking 1.6-terabit-per-second cable. For their part, they envision deploying eight of the delicate polymer waveguides, each transmitting 448 gigabits per second using dual frequencies of 90 gigahertz and 225 gigahertz.
Transforming Data Transmission
What makes Point2 Technology’s e-Tube system unique is its ultra-efficient and cost-effective approach. This new technology only requires about one-third the energy used by state-of-the-art optical systems. Plus, it’s just plain better – and it costs one-third of what those systems do. And it provides latency that’s one-thousandth of current optical solutions. This new feature is what makes it an appealing choice for data centers looking to reduce OpEx while increasing performance.
This innovation in data transmission technology packs all that power into a single silicon chip. This enables it to effectively translate high-bandwidth incoming digital data into modulated millimeter-wave frequencies. These frequencies are then rapidly radiated into the waveguide, allowing large amounts of data to move back and forth at high speed. David Kuo, vice president of product marketing and business development at Point2 Technology, highlighted the urgency of innovation in this field, stating, “As the bandwidth demands on copper cables approach the terabit-per-second realm, physics demands that they be made shorter and thicker.”
The e-Tube’s small-sized architecture enables a maximum range of up to 20 meters. This gives data centers the ability to operate much more flexibly, but still at very high speeds and reliability.
Collaborations and Funding
Point2 Technology has raised an impressive $55 million in venture capital. The original fund’s biggest investor is Molex, the nation’s leading manufacturer of computer cables and connections. This funding will help further its development and production of its technology. Point2 Technology partners with Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. This partnership is further evidence of its strong commitment to advancing research in this field. They recently made their combined discoveries public in IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits. This new publication shines a light on the scope, credibility and potential impact of their work.
Born from the mind of David Welch—founder and CEO of AttoTude, and one of the true pioneers of photonics. Most importantly, he pushed for solutions that connect currently dispersed technologies. “Customers love fiber. But what they hate is the photonics,” he remarked. Welch stressed, among several other points, that electronics is more reliable than optics. This change is a sign of progress towards more effective solutions for broadband data transmission.
Industry Perspectives
For the data center industry, this is an inflection point. Common passive copper solutions are quickly approaching their limits and can no longer keep up with the increasing demands. Credo’s senior vice president and head of product Don Barnetson called that a remarkable feat. His company has already developed an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), designed to provide 800 Gb/s over distances of seven meters or less. He suggested that the transition from copper to advanced technology is essential for meeting future demands: “You start with passive copper, and you do everything you can to run in passive copper as long as you can.”
In light of increasing bandwidth requirements, Point2 Technology’s advancements may provide the necessary tools for data centers to thrive in an evolving landscape. Solutions such as the e-Tube cable are poised to change the game in the industry. Next, we can expect a departure from legacy copper solutions with other advanced technologies that prioritize efficiency and performance.