Laser Chips Could Power Petaflop Computer

NEC of Japan has developed chips for Petaflop computers, the chips have a transfer rate of 25 GBS (GigaByter per Second).

The communications chips can transfer information through optical fibres at a blistering 25 gigabits per second (a gigabit is a billion bits). This is a record for such components, according to NEC, and is many times faster that the purely electronic interconnects used in today's supercomputers.

Communications chips can convert electronic signals into optical ones. Using optical fibres to relay data between the chips is what may give this type of supercomputer the edge over previous ones using processors connected electronically.

NEC used a type of semiconducting laser diode called a Vertical-Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) which generates laser pulses in response to an electrical current. Researchers at the company created more efficient VCSEL devices by making the diodes from a blend of gallium arsenide and indium gallium arsenide - they used indium instead of the more conventional aluminium. This made it possible to transfer laser pulses more rapidly through optical fibre.


NewScientist.com

Wow that's an impressive piece of technology.

I wonder how long it might be until this technology makes it into every day PC type computers.


Comments, Opinions?

25 GBits per second is nothing. The Sun's InfinityEngine machine (a 3d workspation) has 192 GB/sec (yes folks, that's 192 gigabytes!) data transfer range between CPUs and memory banks.

Maybe the article meant something else about the speed.

It's a very interesting article. Though it looks like they have some serious work ahead of them in terms of balancing cost and performance.

I'm also not sure that I want to have to use the word petaflop in every day conversation.

Spiderj