New Green Optics!

Just read this today.. interesting read if you deal with super high data transfers.

http://www.physorg.com/news123432868.html

I like how they were able to reduce the power consumption significantly. I'll be watching this closely from now on.. got my interest :)

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Originally Posted by WyldGoat

Just read this today.. interesting read if you deal with super high data transfers.

http://www.physorg.com/news123432868.html

I like how they were able to reduce the power consumption significantly. I'll be watching this closely from now on.. got my interest :)

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Technological "breakthroughs" are published on a daily basis, but this is more than just another expensive laboratory curiosity...

Just about everyone should be interested, since this will enable the media companies to distribute-on-demand rich content like hd movies and video broadcast streams.

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"Last year we introduced an optical transceiver chip set that had the capability to transmit a high-defintion movie in less than one second using highly customized parts and processes. Just a year later, we've now connected these high-speed chips through printed circuit boards with dense integrated optical 'wiring'. Now we have built an even faster transceiver not with custom pieces, but using all standard, commercially available parts and tools," explains IBM researcher Clint Schow.

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So is this basically like a pcb that uses optical trace layers, pads and interconnects?

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Originally Posted by JabberJaw

So is this basically like a pcb that uses optical trace layers, pads and interconnects?

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It looks like it. While certainly an important technology, I don’t see chip – chip interconnects as being the primary bottleneck for the types of distribute on demand services mentioned in the article. Network bandwidth is a much bigger bottleneck and while this should allow for faster networking equipment some point down the road, I can’t see the difference being as huge as they claim.

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Originally Posted by Moridin

It looks like it. While certainly an important technology, I don’t see chip – chip interconnects as being the primary bottleneck for the types of distribute on demand services mentioned in the article. Network bandwidth is a much bigger bottleneck and while this should allow for faster networking equipment some point down the road, I can’t see the difference being as huge as they claim.

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I had thought that much of the new cable being installed under streets is glass, not copper but I would need to check around to confirm that. I guess it's likely that a lot of existing infrastructure would be plain ol' copper wires, though.

Much of what is being put in now is fiber, but this wouldn’t do much to change the bandwidth of existing fiber. Other then faster routers/switches I don’t see how it would change the way long distance data transmission works.