Intel Devises Chip Speed Breakthrough

Chad Wood writes "According to the New York Times (free reg. req.), Intel has demonstrated a research breakthrough, making silicon chips that can switch light like electricity. The article explains:''This opens up whole new areas for Intel,' said Mario Paniccia, a an Intel physicist, who started the previously secret Intel research program to explore the possibility of using standard semiconductor parts to build optical networks. 'We're trying to siliconize photonics.' The invention demonstrates for the first time, Intel researchers said, that ultrahigh-speed fiberoptic equipment can be produced at personal computer industry prices. As the costs of communicating between computers and chips falls, the barrier to building fundamentally new kinds of computers not limited by physical distance should become a reality, experts say.'"

Comments

Still binary..

[dustinbarbour]

When we get off of binary, then we'll be making progress, in my humble opinion. I mean, we've been using binary for-ever! Imagine the size and speed gains we would get if we could now have three or four states per bit.

Re:Still binary..

[femto]

Imagine the size and speed gains we would get if we could have lots of states per bit. Ummm..., I've just reinvented the analog computer...

I think you will find the whole point of binary is that the increased noise margins of having two states means the speed can generally be increased in a way that more than makes up for the reduced information capacity of two states, compared to multiple states. (Multi-level memory cells are actually low speed / duty cycle devices.)

A 'bit' is a mathematical abstraction. In reality, a 'bit' is an analog pulse who's signal-to-noise ratio is just enough to discern two states (read up on eye diagrams).

Re:Still binary..

[Genda]

Dude, This is Light!

Photonics have tremendous advantages over electronics... starting with the possibility of insanely high clock rates (think of the difference between microwaves and UV light!!!) Photonic signal pathes can be multiplexed, that is light pulses of countless frequencies can run down the same channel. Photonics are not at all limited to binary, or any other arbitrary base. Pick one you like... like decimal, and have a party. Photonics can perform massively parallel calculation inside photonic arrays. Those calculations can be used to control logic flow, and data organization, allowing a new hierarchy of computing which doesn't even exist in current solid state devices (i.e. self modifying, self optimizing hardware tuned to recursive operational analysis.)

As for the whole waste heat conversation... Remember, in a photonic, the light passing through the device doesn't necessarily produce significant heat. Photons passing through a transparent medium don't interact with matter the same way electrons do... resistance to currents of light aren't anything like electrons in their ability to produce heat, that is, as long as the light passing through an optical gate doesn't fluoresce (re-emit light) in the far infrared, there is no reason to expect that gate to get warm. The only true source of light on the chip will be the clock (not exactly true considering pumps, and amplifiers, but the concept is operationally correct), and that doesn't need to be a high wattage source (a 5mw tuneable laser should more than sufficient as a clock source.) Photonics run cool!

Comparing photonics to electronics is missing the whole point of why we want to do photonics in the first place... photonics rock!

Genda Bendte

"And then he said let there be light! And it was good!"

Not much effect on distances

[MacGabhain]

Propogation of light through fiber is only about 50% faster than propogation of electrons through a copper conductor. The comments about making distance irrelevant seems completely unrelated to what's been accomplished.

What Intel seems to be discussing is much faster transmission rates though the line (ie: bandwidth), which in itself is a really good thing if it's being done at reasonable heat and power levels.

Still electro-optical (not all optical)

[G4from128k]

Its an interesting breakthrough, but only from the standpoint of manufacturing high speed optical interconnect systems using standard silicon as the substrate material. It would seem that the technology still relies on standard electronic computation, but has a convenient way to convert eletronic signals into photonic ones on a standard silicon chip (versus the more exotic materials currently used for optical modulators).

Rather than create all-optical processors, this technology will be useful for building gigabit fiber interfaces directly into everyday silicon chips. I'd think that the next step for this stuff will be cheap fiber connections between peripherals and interal subsystems (Optical ATA anyone?) Then they will look to create optical traces that connect Intel processors, cache, RAM, I/O chips (if they can figure out how to mass-produce a optical fiber traces on a PCB).

This breakthrough more of an interconnection technology than a computation technology.

MODS ON CRACK

[Dasein]

This question is not off-topic. They talk about being able to do optical switching at consumer prices.

So the immediate question that I have is, "Why would I, a consumer, want that?" One possible answer is that I have fiber to my house.

Short of that, why would I want it? Would I want to convert my existing network to optical. Nope, I want less wires instead of more wires. One of the quotes even talks about people being able to watch multiple views of the Superbowl.

No, the mod that said this was on topic is full of crap.

Re:Google link (KW)

[Anonymous Coward]

I work in the US with a UK, French, and German team. These fucking guys are always on vacation. They're fucking genuises, but don't get to work often enough to get shit done....

...and the American residents I've worked with have seemed pretty smart, but so tired that they kept making silly mistakes. ;-P

I guess there's a happy medium somewhere in-between, eh?