Point2, a leading technology firm, has released a truly revolutionary solution. This patent pending innovation helps close the divide between legacy copper cabling and high-powered optical solutions. This creative strategy is designed to drive extreme leaps in data center efficiency. Shimano’s e-Tube cables, by contrast, sport eight e-Tube fibers. They’re capable of transmitting well over 200 gigabits of data every second, showcasing the Point2’s commitment to pushing the limits of what’s possible in data transmission technology.
Founded by David Welch, Point 2 has been working with radio technology for data centers even before its competitor, AttoTude. The company’s new breakthrough could offer huge benefits compared to current optical technology, particularly in transceiver-processor packages. The fabricating of chips for one of these cables that can carry 1.6 terabits per second will start later this year. The industry is closely following Point2’s eventual success or failure.
Technical Advancements in Data Transmission
Point2’s e-Tube cables are significantly superior to copper connections. They offer a very small footprint with an area equivalent to one-half of a 32-gauge copper wire and offer up to 20 times the distance. Each e-Tube fiber carries information, electrical or optical, across the individually contained fibers over distances up to 10 to 20 meters with negligible degradation. This new innovation is a major advancement for data center connectivity.
The cable is built around a single silicon chip that takes incoming digital data and translates it into modulated millimeter-wave frequencies. A transmit antenna expresses these frequencies into the waveguide, leading to extremely high fidelity data transfer.
“Customers love fiber. But what they hate is the photonics.” – Dave Welch
Point2’s technology boasts impressive performance metrics. The company showed off a record-setting 4-meter transmission at 970 GHz at the Optical Fiber Communications Conference last April. The second-generation cable uses fibers with a diameter of only 200 µm. This unique proprietary design allows for amazing loss down to only 0.3 decibels per meter. This level of performance delivers the possibility of incredible bandwidth and enables transmission opportunities of 224 Gb/s and beyond.
Strategic Manufacturing Plans and Benefits
Point2 expects to start manufacturing those specialized chips for its new cables later this year. Point2 is preparing to launch an Active Electronic Component (AEC). This innovative design will greatly enhance interconnectivity between multiple graphics processing units (GPUs) to network switches in large-scale, distributed networks. This physical link will allow for greater data speeds and operational efficiencies in the data center.
This summer, Don Barnetson, Credo’s senior vice president and head of product, told us about the good news. He emphasized that Point2’s AEC can provide a staggering 800 Gb/s throughput at distances up to seven meters. This capability even more strongly reinforces Point2’s vision of disrupting data center infrastructure with uniquely powerful solutions.
“Electronics have been demonstrated to be inherently more reliable than optics.” – Dave Welch
The ramifications behind Point2’s positive changes go well beyond the digits. Point2 matches breakthrough technology with masterful planning. That makes them an important long-term player as the future of data center connectivity continues evolving.
The Future of Connectivity
David Welch’s pioneering, in-depth explorations of photonics have set the stage for many of these advances. He describes an important move away from conventional optical wavelengths and toward more practical solutions.
“If I didn’t have to be at [an optical wavelength], where should I be?” – Dave Welch
Point2’s approach is a great example of the broader trend to reduce reliance on paper using electronic solutions inside data centers. As data demands grow, there is a clear need for more efficient, reliable technologies that can handle higher bandwidths over greater distances.
Point2’s intelligent e-Tube cables have the potential to push beyond today’s data transmission expectations. They further set the stage for future uses that require more advanced connectivity solutions.
