Intel has unveiled a new optical compute interconnect (OCI) chiplet at the recent Optical Fiber Communication (OFC) Conference 2024. The OCI chiplet, developed by Intel’s Integrated Photonics Solutions group, supports 64 channels of 32 Gbps data transmission in both directions over distances of up to 100 meters. This technology can be connected to CPUs and GPUs, addressing the increasing need for higher bandwidth, lower power consumption, and longer reach in AI infrastructure.
The demand for AI-based applications such as LLM and generative AI is driving the need for wider I/O bandwidth to support larger CPU/GPU clusters. While electrical I/O based on copper traces offers high bandwidth density and low power consumption, it is limited to short distances. Intel’s OCI chiplet integrates a silicon photonics integrated circuit (PIC) with lasers and optical amplifiers on-chip, as well as a power IC. It supports 4 Tbps bi-directional data transfer using 8 wavelengths at 200 GHz spacing on a single fiber, consuming just 5 picojoules (pJ) per bit compared to 15 pJ/bit for plug-in optical transceiver modules.
Although the OCI chiplet is currently a prototype, Intel is working with select customers to integrate it into systems-on-chips (SoCs) and systems-in-packages (SiPs). Thomas Liljeberg, senior director of Product Management and Strategy for Intel’s Integrated Photonics Solutions Group, highlights the strain on data center infrastructure from the increasing movement of data and the limitations of current electrical I/O solutions. He believes that Intel’s achievement will allow customers to seamlessly incorporate silicon photonics interconnect solutions into next-generation computing systems, increasing reach and enabling ML workload acceleration for high-performance AI infrastructure.
In conclusion, Intel’s introduction of the OCI chiplet at the OFC Conference 2024 represents a significant advancement in optical I/O technology for AI infrastructure. With its support for high-speed data transmission over longer distances and lower power consumption, the OCI chiplet has the potential to revolutionize the scalability and efficiency of AI/ML workload acceleration. Intel’s collaboration with customers to integrate the OCI chiplet into future computing systems shows a commitment to meeting the growing demands of AI-based applications in the industry.
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