Intel has unveiled a breakthrough in optical computing interconnect technology at the 2024 Fiber Optic Communication Conference. The company’s integrated optical computational interconnect (OCI) chiplet is designed to revolutionize data transmission in high-speed applications, such as AI infrastructure for data centers and high-performance computing.
With the explosive growth of AI applications and the increasing demand for greater bandwidth, Intel’s OCI chiplet addresses a crucial gap in current compute fabric sources. While traditional electrical interconnects have limited reach, optical transceiver modules present power and cost challenges that are not sustainable for AI workloads. The OCI chiplet aims to provide higher bandwidth over longer distances while reducing power consumption.
The chiplet integrates silicon photonics technology with an electrical integrated circuit, incorporating lasers and optical amplifiers onto a single chip. This technology can be co-packaged with CPUs or integrated into various computing systems, including GPUs, IPUs, and SoCs. The demonstration at the conference showed impressive capabilities, including support for up to 4 terabits per second of bi-directional data transfer over distances of up to 100 meters.
One key highlight of the OCI chiplet is its significant power savings, consuming just 5 picojoules per bit compared to 15 picojoules per bit for plug-in optical transceiver modules. This makes it a more efficient and sustainable solution for high-performance AI infrastructure.
Intel’s OCI chiplet is still in the prototype stage but shows great potential for enhancing data transmission in the future. The company envisions a computing fabric that can deliver higher bandwidth, longer reach, and lower power consumption, revolutionizing the way AI workloads are accelerated in high-performance computing environments.
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