Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Mobile
    • Networking
    • PC Hardware
    • Storage

    Intel Debuts Optical Interconnect at 50G bps

    By
    Jeff Burt
    -
    July 28, 2010
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Intel engineers have created a prototype of an interconnect that uses light rather than copper wiring to speed up data transfer within a system to as fast as 50 gigabits per second.

      The breakthrough is thelatest step by Intel to create a light-based technology that would replace copper wiring and electrons to transmit data at significantly faster rates-company officials during a conference call July 27 with journalists talked about as fast as 400G bps-and at longer distances.

      The optical interconnect technology could solve a number of problems, Intel CTO Justin Rattner said. Copper wires are reaching their limit in their ability to transmit data, Rattner said. Currently data can be moved at 10G bps over copper wires, and some vendors are pushing into the 40G-bps arena. And with copper wires, as speed increases, it becomes more difficult to move electrons over longer distances.

      “We’ve traded performance over distance,” he said.

      This is becoming an increasing larger issue as the amount of data that needs to be moved-thanks to the rise of social media and video, among other things-is growing rapidly. Using light to move data will not only significantly increase the speed of transfer, but also the distance.

      “Photonics gives us the ability to move vast amounts of data across the room or across the globe at extremely high speed,” Rattner said.

      Rattner and Mario Paniccia, Intel Fellow and director of Intel’s Photonics Technology Lab, both said they expect, should everything continue at its current pace, products with optical interconnects to start hitting the market in servers, PCs and mobile devices in the middle of the decade.

      Light already is used in a number of applications. Lasers can be found in DVD players and in fiber optics for long-distance communications. However, for what Intel officials are talking about, a real challenge is cost, Rattner said.

      Intel wants to find a way to bring the cost down to the point where it makes financial sense to use it in common electronic devices. That will be a challenge going forward, Rattner and Paniccia said.

      “A lot of the costs have to be taken out, or it won’t be practical,” Rattner said.

      Paniccia said Intel researchers “have a good sense of the challenges” of bringing the optical interconnect technology to market. In addition, the prototype proves that Intel can assemble the necessary pieces and make it work. Rattner said that Intel isn’t waiting on any new invention to move this forward. All the pieces are in place. It’s now a matter of continuing to refine it, putting it into chips and then getting it into the manufacturing stream, a process that could take the next few years.

      A number of other companies, including IBM, also are working on photonics.

      While Intel is pushing forward with its research, it also has a project under way to create an optical interconnect-dubbed “Light Peak”-to connect a number of devices to PCs that can be up to 100 meters away. Light Peak is designed to transmit data at speeds up to of 10G bps.

      Jeff Burt
      Jeffrey Burt has been with eWEEK since 2000, covering an array of areas that includes servers, networking, PCs, processors, converged infrastructure, unified communications and the Internet of things.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×