IBM brings optics into the data center to save energy and boost speed
When we think of optical technology it tends to be in terms of transmitting data over long distances. Today IBM is unveiling a breakthrough in optics technology that for the first time puts the speed and power of fiber optics inside servers and onto circuit boards.
Using a new process that replaces electrical wires with optical waveguides,this effectively enables chip connectivity at the speed of light.
Researchers have pioneered a new process for co-packaged optics (CPO), powered by the first publicly announced successful polymer optical waveguide (PWG). This technology could significantly increase the bandwidth of data center communications, minimizing GPU downtime while drastically accelerating AI processing.
The technology enables a more than five times power reduction in energy consumption compared to mid-range electrical interconnects. It will also allow developers to train a Large Language Model (LLM) up to five times faster with CPO than with conventional electrical wiring. IBM estimates saving the energy equivalent of 5,000 US homes' annual power consumption per AI model trained.
"As generative AI demands more energy and processing power, the data center must evolve -- and co-packaged optics can make these data centers future-proof," says Dario Gil, SVP and director of research at IBM. "With this breakthrough, tomorrow’s chips will communicate much like how fiber optics cables carry data in and out of data centers, ushering in a new era of faster, more sustainable communications that can handle the AI workloads of the future."
CPO technology will let chipmakers add optical pathways connecting chips on an electronic module beyond the limits of today’s electrical pathways. The technology would enable chipmakers to add six times as many optical fibers at the edge of a silicon photonics chip, so called 'beachfront density,' compared to the current state-of-the-art technology.
You can find out more on the IBM Research blog.
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