Move data at rapid speeds and longer distances in future computing systems.

Our mobile-driven, cloud-driven and big-data driven age is deeply characterized by critical requirements and needs when it comes to:

·        Make future computing systems faster and more energy efficient,

·         capture insights from Big Data in real time,

·         Suitable deployment in cloud servers, datacenters, and supercomputers,

·         Greater data rates and bandwidth for cloud computing and Big Data applications,

·        Overcome the limitations of congested data traffic and high-cost traditional interconnects, 

·        Push the limits of chip technology to meet the emerging demands of cloud and Big Data systems.

In fact, more than ever, we need streamlined technologies, apps and infrastructures to meet the growing demands in computing power driven by Big Data, mobile and cloud services.

Just as fiber optic has revolutionized the telecommunications industry by speeding up the flow of data, the development of silicon photonics technology carries lot of promises with regard to move data at rapid speeds and longer distances in future computing systems. 

IBM engineers have designed and tested a fully integrated wavelength multiplexed silicon photonics chip, which will ‘soon’ enable manufacturing of 100 Gb/s optical transceivers. 

Connectikpeople.co observe that, IBM’s silicon photonics chips uses four distinct colors of light travelling within an optical fiber, rather than traditional copper wiring, to transmit data in and around a computing system. In just one second, this new transceiver is estimated to be capable of digitally sharing 63 million tweets or six million images, or downloading an entire high-definition digital movie in just two seconds. 

Silicon photonics technology leverages the unique properties of optical communications, which include transmission of high-speed data over kilometer-scale distances, and the ability to overlay multiple colors of light within a single optical fiber to multiply the data volume carried, all while maintaining low power consumption. 

These characteristics combine to enable rapid movement of data between computer chips and racks within servers, supercomputers, and large datacenters, in order to alleviate the limitations of congested data traffic produced by contemporary interconnect technologies.