Supercomputer To Use Optical Router

Izmunuti writes "From a NYTimes article: 'Highlighting a radical departure in the design of the fastest computers, the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology plans to announce on Monday that it will use an optical router designed by a Texas company as the heart of a campus-wide supercomputer that will be woven together with optical fibers.'"

Comments

sorry, but the computers do the work

[g4dget]

"We're moving to an optical-centric world in which the computers are the slow things and you reluctantly add them in," Dr. Smarr said.

When it comes down to it, the computers do the work. You can do useful supercomputing with almost no networking, you can't do useful supercomputing with blindingly fast networks and no computers.

(Somehow, the quote reminds me of people who think that managers and lawyers are the important part of a company, and engineers and customer service are a nuisance to be minimized.)

Re:sorry, but the computers do the work

[twoslice]

(Somehow, the quote reminds me of people who think that managers and lawyers are the important part of a company, and engineers and customer service are a nuisance to be minimized.)

No, Actually that is Dilbert...

Way of the future

[andyring]

Well, we all saw this coming, if you really think about it. I recall hearing talk of a pure optical network switch a couple years ago, that functioned as a switch without needing to convert fiber back to copper. I think HP made it, I could be wrong.

Anyway, we're about pushing the limits of copper, with 1000bT, and I'd imagine network speeds will only continue to climb with increased use of fiber. I can see, in 5 to 10 years, optical switches becoming more common in office environments as file sizes and network speeds continue increasing.

Got all excited over nothing

[Servo]

Just as the article started to pique my interests, it was over. That sucks!

Yet another technology article written without any real information. I realize in writing you are supposed to write to the common reader, but sometimes it seems like they would be better off not writing about it at all if they didn't intend on clueing us in on any of the facts.

Re:Optical routing

[irish_spic]

I agree with what you are saying, but what you describe is an optical switch not an optical router.
(a switch switches circuits or light channels in this case and a router routes packets).

I read trough their website (www.chiaro.com) but wasn't clear on how they can identify the destination addresses of the packets (essential for routing) without some sort of photonic-electrical conversion. Then it won't be an all optical router, would it? ;-)

cheers,
Frank