• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

Holey Optochip First to Transfer One Trillion Bits per Second Using Light

btarunr

Editor & Senior Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 9, 2007
Messages
47,229 (7.55/day)
Location
Hyderabad, India
System Name RBMK-1000
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
Motherboard ASUS ROG Strix B450-E Gaming
Cooling DeepCool Gammax L240 V2
Memory 2x 8GB G.Skill Sniper X
Video Card(s) Palit GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER GameRock
Storage Western Digital Black NVMe 512GB
Display(s) BenQ 1440p 60 Hz 27-inch
Case Corsair Carbide 100R
Audio Device(s) ASUS SupremeFX S1220A
Power Supply Cooler Master MWE Gold 650W
Mouse ASUS ROG Strix Impact
Keyboard Gamdias Hermes E2
Software Windows 11 Pro
IBM scientists today will report on a prototype optical chipset, dubbed "Holey Optochip", that is the first parallel optical transceiver to transfer one trillion bits - one terabit - of information per second, the equivalent of downloading 500 high definition movies. The report will be presented at the Optical Fiber Communication Conference taking place in Los Angeles.

With the ability to move information at blazing speeds - eight times faster than parallel optical components available today - the breakthrough could transform how data is accessed, shared and used for a new era of communications, computing and entertainment. The raw speed of one transceiver is equivalent to the bandwidth consumed by 100,000 users at today's typical 10 Mb/s high-speed internet access. Or, it would take just around an hour to transfer the entire U.S. Library of Congress web archive through the transceiver.



Progress in optical communications is being driven by an explosion of new applications and services as the amount of data being created and transmitted over corporate and consumer networks continues to grow. At one terabit per second, IBM's latest advance in optical chip technology provides unprecedented amounts of bandwidth that could one day ship loads of data such as posts to social media sites, digital pictures and videos posted online, sensors used to gather climate information, and transaction records of online purchases.

"Reaching the one trillion bit per second mark with the Holey Optochip marks IBM's latest milestone to develop chip-scale transceivers that can handle the volume of traffic in the era of big data," said IBM Researcher Clint Schow, part of the team that built the prototype. "We have been actively pursuing higher levels of integration, power efficiency and performance for all the optical components through packaging and circuit innovations. We aim to improve on the technology for commercialization in the next decade with the collaboration of manufacturing partners."

Optical networking offers the potential to significantly improve data transfer rates by speeding the flow of data using light pulses, instead of sending electrons over wires. Because of this, researchers have been looking for ways to make use of optical signals within standard low-cost, high-volume chip manufacturing techniques for widespread use.

Using a novel approach, scientists in IBM labs developed the Holey Optochip by fabricating 48 holes through a standard silicon CMOS chip. The holes allow optical access through the back of the chip to 24 receiver and 24 transmitter channels to produce an ultra-compact, high-performing and power-efficient optical module capable of record setting data transfer rates.

The compactness and capacity of optical communication has become indispensable in the design of large data-handling systems. With that in mind, the Holey Optochip module is constructed with components that are commercially available today, providing the possibility to manufacture at economies of scale.

Consistent with green computing initiatives, the Holey Optochip achieves record speed at a power efficiency (the amount of power required to transmit a bit of information) that is among the best ever reported. The transceiver consumes less than five watts; the power consumed by a 100W light bulb could power 20 transceivers. This progress in power efficient interconnects is necessary to allow companies who adopt high-performance computing to manage their energy load while performing powerful applications such as analytics, data modeling and forecasting.

By demonstrating unparalleled levels of performance, the Holey Optochip illustrates that high-speed, low-power interconnects are feasible in the near term and optical is the only transmission medium that can stay ahead of the accelerating global demand for broadband. The future of computing will rely heavily on optical chip technology to facilitate the growth of big data and cloud computing and the drive for next-generation data center applications.

Technical Aspects of the Holey Optochip
Parallel optics is a fiber optic technology primarily targeted for high-data, short-reach multimode fiber systems that are typically less than 150 meters. Parallel optics differs from traditional duplex fiber optic serial communication in that data is simultaneously transmitted and received over multiple optical fibers.

A single 90-nanometer IBM CMOS transceiver IC with 24 receiver and 24 transmitter circuits becomes a Holey Optochip with the fabrication of forty-eight through-silicon holes, or "optical vias" - one for each transmitter and receiver channel. Simple post-processing on completed CMOS wafers with all devices and standard wiring levels results in an entire wafer populated with Holey Optochips. The transceiver chip measures only 5.2 mm x 5.8 mm. Twenty-four channel, industry-standard 850-nm VCSEL (vertical cavity surface emitting laser) and photodiode arrays are directly flip-chip soldered to the Optochip. This direct packaging produces high-performance, chip-scale optical engines. The Holey Optochips are designed for direct coupling to a standard 48-channel multimode fiber array through an efficient microlens optical system that can be assembled with conventional high-volume packaging tools.

Other Highlights at the OFC Conference
Also at the OFC Conference, IBM researchers are presenting the following advances:
  • Two optical links that are the most power efficient ever reported. Underpinned by a novel receiver design, a complete single-channel VCSEL based link achieved 15Gb/s operation while consuming only 20 miliwatts of power. This represents the first practical demonstration of an optical interconnect that attains the efficiency levels that will be required for exascale computers circa 2020.
  • A complete single-channel 40 Gb/s VCSEL-based optical link that not only sets a new benchmark for speed, but also operates at this high data rate with significant margin. Transmitter pre-distortion for end-to-end link performance improvement, an equalization technique that IBM has pioneered, enabled this breakthrough.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site
 

btarunr

Editor & Senior Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 9, 2007
Messages
47,229 (7.55/day)
Location
Hyderabad, India
System Name RBMK-1000
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
Motherboard ASUS ROG Strix B450-E Gaming
Cooling DeepCool Gammax L240 V2
Memory 2x 8GB G.Skill Sniper X
Video Card(s) Palit GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER GameRock
Storage Western Digital Black NVMe 512GB
Display(s) BenQ 1440p 60 Hz 27-inch
Case Corsair Carbide 100R
Audio Device(s) ASUS SupremeFX S1220A
Power Supply Cooler Master MWE Gold 650W
Mouse ASUS ROG Strix Impact
Keyboard Gamdias Hermes E2
Software Windows 11 Pro
Many Thanks to jbunch07 for the tip.
 

Easy Rhino

Linux Advocate
Staff member
Joined
Nov 13, 2006
Messages
15,577 (2.37/day)
Location
Mid-Atlantic
System Name Desktop
Processor i5 13600KF
Motherboard AsRock B760M Steel Legend Wifi
Cooling Noctua NH-U9S
Memory 4x 16 Gb Gskill S5 DDR5 @6000
Video Card(s) Gigabyte Gaming OC 6750 XT 12GB
Storage WD_BLACK 4TB SN850x
Display(s) Gigabye M32U
Case Corsair Carbide 400C
Audio Device(s) On Board
Power Supply EVGA Supernova 650 P2
Mouse MX Master 3s
Keyboard Logitech G915 Wireless Clicky
Software The Matrix
ah ah ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... :pimp:
 
Joined
Jan 25, 2011
Messages
531 (0.11/day)
Location
Inside a mini ITX
System Name ITX Desktop
Processor Core i7 9700K
Motherboard Gigabyte Aorus Pro WiFi Z390
Cooling Arctic esports 34 duo.
Memory Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB 3000MHz
Video Card(s) Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2070 Gaming OC White PRO
Storage Samsung 970 EVO Plus | Intel SSD 660p
Case NZXT H200
Power Supply Corsair CX Series 750 Watt
1Tbps using multimode fibers is a very good achievement. These fibers have high dispersion and attenuation compared singlemode / graded index fibers. One advantage of multimode fiber is that it is cheap.
 

jbunch07

New Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2008
Messages
5,260 (0.86/day)
Location
Chattanooga,TN
Processor i5-2500k
Motherboard ASRock z68 pro3-m
Cooling Corsair A70
Memory Kingston HyperX 8GB 2 x 4GB 1600mhz
Storage OCZ Agility3 60GB(boot) 2x320GB Raid0(storage)
Display(s) Samsung 24" 1920x1200
Case Custom
Power Supply PC Power and Cooling 750w
Software Win 7 x64
ah ah ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... :pimp:

Exactly what I said as I was reading this! Lol

But seriously I love seeing huge advancements in technology
 
Joined
Jun 4, 2011
Messages
3,051 (0.62/day)
System Name The SwagMachine / The Sister
Processor Core i5 3570K @5.2ghz 1.3V/ 1100T
Motherboard ASUS P8Z77-V / ASUS M5A99X EVO
Cooling Phanteks PH TC14PE / Corsair H40
Memory M379B5273DH0-YK0 2X4GB + PVI316G213C1QK 2X4GB / 2x4GB Patriot 2133
Video Card(s) PNY 780Ti /Windforce 7950
Storage 2xSamsung 840 EVO 250gb+WD10EZEX + WD30EZRX/ 1x WD1500 Black
Display(s) AOC Q2963PM+Acer S200HL / Acer S200L+ LG 22LD350
Case Fractal Define R4 / NZXT Trinity
Audio Device(s) Asus Xonar DG / Asus Xonar DG
Power Supply Seasonic 750X / ROSEWILL RG630-S12 630W R
Mouse Razer Deathadder Chroma / Roccat Kone+
Keyboard Razer Blackwidow 2013 Stealth / Roccat Isku
Software Windows 8.1 Pro / Windows 7 Ultimate
Benchmark Scores one time I scored a 3 on 3dmark 11
But would the average joe's hard drive even be able to keep up with his download speed then?
 

jbunch07

New Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2008
Messages
5,260 (0.86/day)
Location
Chattanooga,TN
Processor i5-2500k
Motherboard ASRock z68 pro3-m
Cooling Corsair A70
Memory Kingston HyperX 8GB 2 x 4GB 1600mhz
Storage OCZ Agility3 60GB(boot) 2x320GB Raid0(storage)
Display(s) Samsung 24" 1920x1200
Case Custom
Power Supply PC Power and Cooling 750w
Software Win 7 x64
But would the average joe's hard drive even be able to keep up with his download speed then?

Not until the average Joe has optic based storage and CPU...this is why this excites me. 15-20 years from now we could all have optical based computers...at least I would hope so.
 

WarraWarra

New Member
Joined
Nov 23, 2010
Messages
268 (0.05/day)
Wonderful job IBM. One small step for IBM, one giant leap for us all.
Next step 20nm with 528 transmitters / 528 receivers in 3 years should about do the job. :toast:
 

Easy Rhino

Linux Advocate
Staff member
Joined
Nov 13, 2006
Messages
15,577 (2.37/day)
Location
Mid-Atlantic
System Name Desktop
Processor i5 13600KF
Motherboard AsRock B760M Steel Legend Wifi
Cooling Noctua NH-U9S
Memory 4x 16 Gb Gskill S5 DDR5 @6000
Video Card(s) Gigabyte Gaming OC 6750 XT 12GB
Storage WD_BLACK 4TB SN850x
Display(s) Gigabye M32U
Case Corsair Carbide 400C
Audio Device(s) On Board
Power Supply EVGA Supernova 650 P2
Mouse MX Master 3s
Keyboard Logitech G915 Wireless Clicky
Software The Matrix
but will it run... oh nevermind.
 

AsRock

TPU addict
Joined
Jun 23, 2007
Messages
19,077 (3.00/day)
Location
UK\USA
but will it run... oh nevermind.

It would download it as if it was only a .bat file if ya comp could deal with the input. Although be pretty dam fast still if you downloaded it to ram then saved it to HDD\SSD.
 
Joined
Jan 31, 2012
Messages
2,638 (0.56/day)
Location
East Europe
System Name PLAHI
Processor I5-10400
Motherboard MSI MPG Z490 GAMING PLUS
Cooling 120 AIO
Memory 32GB Corsair LPX 2400 Mhz DDR4 CL14
Video Card(s) PNY QUADRO RTX A2000
Storage Intel 670P 512GB
Display(s) Philips 288E2A 28" 4K + 22" LG 1080p
Case Silverstone Raven 03 (RV03)
Audio Device(s) Creative Soundblaster Z
Power Supply Fractal Design IntegraM 650W
Mouse Logitech Triathlon
Keyboard REDRAGON MITRA
Software Windows 11 Home x 64
Se let's sum it up:

According to Moore's law- the power of the CPU will double every 18 months at constant price (which is exceeded by current tempo),

according to Peter Drucker- a 10-fold increase in the productivity of any technology results in economic discontinuity. Thus every five years there will be new economic order.

according to George Gilder- communications bandwidth doubles every 12 months, creating an economic discontinuity every 3-4 years....

man....do I get a flying car by the time I get to my 30's ???

500 hd movies in 1 second...that's insane :D. Matrix here we come :D
 
Joined
Aug 19, 2011
Messages
529 (0.11/day)
System Name As Himself
Processor 2700X
Motherboard Asrock 370X ThaiChi
Cooling Custom Liquid
Memory 4133MHz Team
Video Card(s) Radeon VII
Storage Samsung 512 SSD's
Display(s) Asus "24 144Hz
Case Tt P5
Audio Device(s) Asus Essence One Muses/Sparkos
Power Supply EVGA 1200
Mouse RAT ProX
Keyboard Drop CTRL
Software W10 steam futuremark
??? so is this more of an IC than a CPU??? :confused:
 
Joined
Apr 21, 2010
Messages
5,731 (1.08/day)
Location
West Midlands. UK.
System Name Ryzen Reynolds
Processor Ryzen 1600 - 4.0Ghz 1.415v - SMT disabled
Motherboard mATX Asrock AB350m AM4
Cooling Raijintek Leto Pro
Memory Vulcan T-Force 16GB DDR4 3000 16.18.18 @3200Mhz 14.17.17
Video Card(s) Sapphire Nitro+ 4GB RX 580 - 1450/2000 BIOS mod 8-)
Storage Seagate B'cuda 1TB/Sandisk 128GB SSD
Display(s) Acer ED242QR 75hz Freesync
Case Corsair Carbide Series SPEC-01
Audio Device(s) Onboard
Power Supply Corsair VS 550w
Mouse Zalman ZM-M401R
Keyboard Razor Lycosa
Software Windows 10 x64
Benchmark Scores https://www.3dmark.com/spy/6220813
HOLEY OPTOCHIPS BATMAN!!!!


 
Joined
Oct 7, 2006
Messages
1,338 (0.20/day)
Processor e8200 3.93mhz@1.264v
Motherboard P5E3 Pro
Cooling Scythe Infinity
Memory 4gb of G.Skill Ripjaw 6-7-7-18@1404 and 1.62v
Video Card(s) HIS 5770 v2 940/1275mhz stock volts
Storage 1TB Hitachi
Display(s) Acer 22" Widescreen LCD
Case Blue Cooler Master Centurion
Audio Device(s) Onboard audio :(, and Klipsch 5.1 Pro Media's
Power Supply 650 Watt BFG
Software Vista 64 Ultimate
Joined
Nov 27, 2005
Messages
1,080 (0.16/day)
Location
Look behind you!!
System Name NEW
Processor Intel 4770 non-K
Motherboard Gigabyte H81M-DS2V
Cooling CM Hyper 212 plus
Memory 16gb Muskin
Video Card(s) XFX 380X 4gb
Storage Sandisk 120gb plus WD blue 1tb
Display(s) AOC 23.5 LED bl
Case XIGMATEK
Audio Device(s) motherboard
Power Supply Cooler Master 500
Damn!!

I wish IBM was in the desktop market.They could kick Intels ass I do believe :nutkick:
 
Top