Optical Chips From Intel Come a Step Closer

[xyster]

Intel has developed a high-speed silicon-based avalanche photodetector that can be manufactured cheaply, which could one day lead to optically-connected Intel processors

Optical Chips From Intel Come a Step Closer : Read more

 

[Shadow703793]

W00t?

 

[Pei-chen]

Athlon X2 will still be cheap enough to compete on value; 6600+ X2 Black Black Black Edition for $4.00.

 

[zodiacfml]

we'll see this being used in next generation USB ports and replacement to Ethernet.

 

[cl_spdhax1]

i want to play crysis on my phone

 

[hannibal]

Well they are talkin about foto-optical prosessors. It's guite sensible if they can make the light source small enough. It seems to be that they will use it as an ultra high speed connection methot, not in actual CPU logic. It is easily compared to what light fibres has done to copper connections when high trasfer speeds are needed. Only in miniatyre size.
Nice to see how this will work out. We are wainting for holocraphic storages, and optical chips. The future seems to be much brighter ;-)

 

[pbrigido]

I wonder if this may totally eliminate the need for a traditional CPU heatsink and fan.

 

[Shadow703793]

^Actually it will requite new cooling methods. The lasers required to create the light produce quite a lot of heat.

 

[falchard]

SUN has already received a grant to make an optical processor.

 

[prodigy22]

Super duper technology will never be out in one hit. U gotta keep milking the market so all this talk is waved as crap to me

 

[Guest]

This shouldn't just be for processors.. I feel it is EXTREMELY important that intel/IBM/AMD design a low cost universal PCIe optical interconnect chip.. built into either the southbridge or a dedicated additional component, that to the system looks like a PCIe 16x or 32x slot (PCI 2.0 or hopefully 3.0).

It could allow two separate PC's/servers to interconnect natively, expand out large PCIe backplanes, etc..

But what I'd really like to see is a cheap part for OEMs to put on their video cards. No more cross fire and nVidia SLI external connects or physical PCIe slots. Just cards with a powersupply connector and an optical interface. Systems would no longer be limited to just a few GFX cards. i.e. 128 GPGPU's on a single system. All interconnected via optical.

I'd even go so far as to say that the big boys (Intel, IBM, AMD) should all come together and agree to skip physical electrical PCIe 3.0 and take it optical from the start. If everyone agreed on a standard set of chips, and could get the cost to nearly the same price as it takes to build a electrical interface on a card, it would have a great chance.

I'm really tired of being limited in scalability to just whats in my case. Optical PCIe would really be a boost to our options.

 

[Guest]

RE: Sun

Yes, Sun got a grant to work on optical interconnects for their outdated dead in the water CPUs.. IBM also got a chunk of that grant and is truly doing something with it. From optically interconnected Cell B.E.'s to POWER7 processors..

Sun go the grant because some lobbiest took out a few members of congress to a golf game. It's a waste of our money.