Nvidia has greatly ambitious aims to increase data processing prowess. As for maximum number of GPUs per system, they’ll be growing that from 72 to a staggering 576 by 2027. This impactful jump is a testament to the company’s concentration on fulfilling today’s increasingly complex need for cutting-edge computing power. The announcement comes on the heels of a truly exciting collaborative project. Point2 Technology, in a collaboration with the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, is making waves with an extraordinary potential to reshape all data centers.
The project – detailed just this month in the IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits – uses advanced 28-nanometer CMOS technology to an exciting end. The aim is to address major technical hurdles. One area of particular interest is the ability to precisely attach optical fibers to waveguides on photonic chips with micrometer-level accuracy. As the data demands of the modern applications march upward and upward, innovations in fiber optic technologies are needed now more than ever.
Advancements in Fiber Optics
Point2’s new e-Tube cables are a major innovation in data transmission technology, and the first of its kind. These cables are made up of eight e-Tube fibers, each of which carries more than 200 gigabits of data per second. Point2’s system has an outrageous capacity. It consumes just a third of the power required by average optical systems and is one-third of the cost. In practice, the latency provided by this technology can be one-thousandth the latency of conventional optical systems.
David Kuo, principal at Point2 Technology, emphasized the need to adapt cable designs immediately. He acknowledged the challenge around escalating bandwidth needs that need to be delivered on. He stated, “As bandwidth demands on copper cables approach the terabit-per-second realm, physics demands that they be made shorter and thicker.” This evolution comes at a critical time as data centers are pushing to improve operational efficiency and performance in a rapidly shifting, competitive environment.
Point2’s second-generation cable has fibers with diameters of about 200 microns. This unique construction significantly reduces loss rates to as little as 0.3 dB/m. In practical terms, this translates to Point2’s cables being 30-40 times more efficient. They feature the same area as a standard 32-gauge copper wire, but they can deliver up to 20 times the distance.
The Terahertz Revolution
Simultaneously, high-frequency data transmission has become increasingly more vital. This has particular potency in the terahertz regime (300−3000 GHz). AttoTude have put together a hard-hitting suite of standout components. This suite includes a digital data chip, a terahertz-signal generator, and circuits that harmoniously fuse these technologies together. These breakthroughs are ushering in an era of higher speed and more consistent data transfer within today’s data centers.
Dave Welch
, a leading voice in this field, shared the information he was hearing about what customers wanted. “Customers love fiber. What they hate is the photonics,” he noted. Her sentiment captures the ongoing challenge of bridging optical technology with user-friendliness. Welch further added that “electronics have been demonstrated to be inherently more reliable than optics,” crystallizing the ongoing debate about the optimal technology for data transmission.Collaborations and Future Prospects
Together, Nvidia and Broadcom have created a formidable duo. This joint development initiative intends to manufacture new integrated optical transceivers directly next to processors and in the same integrated circuit package. This integration of processes and technology will help increase agility and improve efficiency to analyze data between systems.
Welch highlighted an important consideration for future developments: “If I didn’t have to be at [an optical wavelength], where should I be.” This query underscores the need for continuous innovation in materials and methods to enhance data transmission while minimizing limitations imposed by existing technologies.
The Vancouver-based startup Point2 Technology recently raised $55 million in venture capital, led in part by Molex, a manufacturer of computer cables and connections. This new funding will help to advance their R&D work to improve their innovative technologies.