Co-Packaging of Optics for HPC (High-Performance Computing) and Datacenters

Key Takeaways

• High-performance computing (HPC) historically drove optical technology advancements, being the first to deploy active optical cables and co-packaging.
• HPC systems are primarily driven by government funding and research, leading to a mix of Infiniband, Ethernet, and proprietary interconnect solutions.
• Data centers are increasingly driving optical specifications, but actual deployments show a significant reliance on very short cables, contradicting stated needs.
• Ethernet technology is rapidly evolving with doubling performance every two years, but this acceleration is also leading to concerns about power consumption.
• The time between new silicon switch generations is shortening, indicating an accelerating pace of development and deployment in the data center industry.
• While HPC systems historically used extensive fiber optics, their rapid obsolescence due to performance gains means machines are replaced every few years.
• Infiniband offers lower latency compared to Ethernet, making it a preferred choice for high-performance computing applications where speed is critical.
• The power consumption of high-performance computing chips is exceeding limits for air cooling, necessitating the adoption of water-cooled systems.