Photonics Speeds Up Data Center AI


Photonics is playing an increasingly vital role in the acceleration of AI within data centers. The global market for optical components is already substantial, accounting for $17 billion in revenue last year. Historically, telecommunications — such as undersea cables and fiber-to-the-home — dominated demand. However, the datacom sector, especially AI-driven data centers, now accounts for... » read more

Research Bits: April 22


PIC heterogeneous integration Researchers from Hewlett Packard Labs, Indian Institutes of Technology Madras, Microsoft Research, and University of Michigan built an AI acceleration platform based on heterogeneously integrated photonic ICs. The PIC combines silicon photonics along with III-V compound semiconductors that functionally integrate lasers and optical amplifiers to reduce optical l... » read more

Photonic-SRAM Bitcell for High-Speed On-Chip Photonic Memory and Compute Systems (UW, USC, GF)


A new technical paper titled "Design of Energy-Efficient Cross-coupled Differential Photonic-SRAM (pSRAM) Bitcell for High-Speed On-Chip Photonic Memory and Compute Systems" was published by researchers at University of Wisconsin–Madison, USC and GlobalFoundries. Abstract "In this work, we propose a novel differential photonic static random access memory (pSRAM) bitcell design using fabri... » read more

Research Bits: Apr. 1


Neuro-synaptic RAM Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) found that a standard silicon transistor can function like a biological neuron and synapse when arranged and operated in a specific way. The team was able to replicate both neural firing and synaptic weight changes by adjusting the resistance of the b... » read more

High-Speed High-Capacity Mixed-Signal Simulation Of Silicon Photonics


Many of today’s computing and communications applications demand almost unimaginable processing capability and high-bandwidth access to memory. For example, many data center systems using high-end Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) often need to transfer multiple terabytes per second. Traditional copper-based interconnects, limited to speeds of hundreds of megabits per second (Mbps), cannot ... » read more

Big Changes Ahead For Interposers And Substrates


Interposers and substrates are undergoing a profound transformation from intermediaries to engineered platforms responsible for power distribution, thermal management, high-density interconnects, and signal integrity in the most advanced computing systems. This shift is being driven by AI, high-performance computing (HPC), and next-generation communications, where the need for heterogeneous ... » read more

Silicon Photonics Raises New Test Challenges


Semiconductor devices continuously experience advancements leading to technology and innovation leaps, such as we see today for applications in AI high-performance computing for data centers, edge AI devices, electric vehicles, autonomous driving, mobile phones, and others. Recent technology innovations include Angstrom-scale semiconductor processing nodes, high-bandwidth memory, advanced 2.5D/... » read more

What’s Next In Advanced Packaging?


Experts at the Table: Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss 3D-IC progress and issues, photonics, and tradeoffs with different interposers and bridge technologies, with Michael Kelly, vice president of Chiplets and FCBGA Integration at Amkor; William Chen, fellow at ASE; Dick Otte, CEO of Promex Industries; and Sander Roosendaal, R&D director at Synopsys Photonics Solutions. What fo... » read more

Advanced Packaging Moving At Breakneck Pace


Experts at the Table: Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss advances in packaging with Michael Kelly, vice president of Chiplets and FCBGA Integration at Amkor; William Chen, fellow at ASE; Dick Otte, CEO of Promex Industries; and Sander Roosendaal, R&D director at Synopsys Photonics Solutions. What follows are excerpts of that discussion. [Part 2 of the discussion is here.] ... » read more

Research Bits: Jan. 28


Optical memory unit Researchers from Nokia Bell Labs developed a new type of optical memory called a programmable photonic latch that enables temporary data storage in optical processing systems. It is modeled after a set-reset latch. The integrated programmable photonic latch is based on optical universal logic gates using silicon photonic micro-ring modulators and can be implemented in co... » read more

← Older posts