Linear Drive Optics May Reduce Data Latency


Optical and electrical are starting to cross paths at a much deeper level, particularly with the growing focus on 3D-ICs and AI/ML training in data centers, driving changes both in how chips are designed and how these very different technologies are integrated together. At the root of this shift are the power and performance demands of AI/ML. It can now take several buildings of a data cente... » read more

Shedding More Light On Photonics For Multi-Die Systems


By Kenneth Larsen and Twan Korthorst Photonics harness the speed of light for fast, low-power, high-capacity data transfer. A tremendous amount of data needs to be moved swiftly across different components in a multi-die system. Considering this, exploiting the advantages of light is one way to mitigate heat dissipation and energy consumption concerns while delivering fast data transmission.... » read more

New Standards Push Co-Packaged Optics


Co-packaged optics (CPOs) promise five times the bandwidth of pluggable connections, but the new architecture requires multiple changes to accommodate different applications. The Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) recently published standards for co-packaged optics, which are the photonic industry’s hope for handling today’s faster Ethernet interfaces, as well as increasing speeds and p... » read more

Tech Forecast: Fab Processes To Watch Through 2040


The massive proliferation of semiconductors in more markets, and more applications within those markets, is expected to propel the industry to more than $1 trillion by 2030. But over the next 17 years, semiconductors will reach well beyond the numbers, changing the way people work, how they communicate, and how they measure and monitor their health and well-being. Chips will be the enabling ... » read more

Co-Packaged Optics In The Data Center


Just because faster Ethernet is added to the data center doesn’t mean existing hardware can utilize it efficiently. Scott Durrant, strategic marketing manager at Synopsys, talks with Semiconductor Engineering about the rapid rollout of faster Ethernet rates, problems in moving data to the front module of the switch and how much energy is required, and what optical technology can bring to the ... » read more

Meeting 112 SerDes Based System Design Challenges


The need for higher bandwidth networking equipment as well as connectivity in the cloud and hyperscale data centers is driving the switch technology transition from 25Tb/s (terabytes) to 51Tb/s and soon to 100Tb/s. The industry has chosen Ethernet to drive the switch market, using 112G SerDes or PHY technology today and 224G SerDes in the future. This article describes how designers can overcom... » read more

Co-Packaged Optics And The Evolution Of Switch/Optical Interconnects In Data Centers


Driven by a need to reduce power and increase bandwidth density in data center network switches and other devices, the data networking industry is moving toward adoption of co-packaged optics (CPO). This paper provides a brief overview of the history of copper and optical interconnects, the limitations of existing interconnect solutions, and the future of co-packaged optics, including the benef... » read more

Will Co-Packaged Optics Replace Pluggables?


As optical connections work their way deeper into the data center, a debate is underway. Is it better to use pluggable optical modules or to embed lasers deep into advanced packages? There are issues of convenience, power, and reliability driving the discussion, and an eventual winner isn’t clear yet. “The industry is definitely embracing co-packaged optics,” said James Pond, principal... » read more

Data Center Evolution: From Pluggable To Co-Packaged Optics


A torrent of data traffic is growing at an exponential rate driven by applications including 5G, AI/ML, video streaming, online gaming, ADAS and more. Handling this data traffic are hyperscale data centers that have grown to over 500 in number worldwide with a third as many in the pipeline. To scale computing resources to the growing data demands, hyperscale data centers deploy fiber optics thr... » read more

Data Center Scaling Requires New Interface Architectures


You can pick your favorite data points, but the bottom line is global data traffic is growing at an exponential rate driven by a confluence of megatrends. 5G networks are making possible billions of AI-powered IoT devices untethered from wired networks. Machine learning’s voracious appetite for enormous data sets is skyrocketing. Data intensive video streaming for both entertainment and busin... » read more

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