High Speed Laser Chip, Intel

**DJ Ms. White** · 07-31-10, 01:59 PM

There will be big applications for this in computational physics/high energy physics where the sheer volume of data being shifted is enormous. Too bad I'll be gone from my current school that has a fiber connection by the time the chips will come out. It would severely cut down the time it takes for research to occur/be analyzed.

**triggerhappy2005** · 07-31-10, 03:17 PM

I'm confused. After reading the article, I'm under the impression that these transfer speeds are just inside the computer and not for long distances. Like PCI bus transfer speeds compared to internet download speeds. Am I missing something?

From the article:

The silicon-based photonics chip could be used within a computer or to communicate from server to server in a data center. “If we are talking about CPU-to-memory connection, we would take our photonics chip and put it close to the CPU to bypass the copper interconnects,” says Paniccia. “For now we are not talking about integrating with the CPU.”

**HeavyG** · 08-01-10, 11:28 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEFmPDG82QA&NR=1

Ultimate goal with the silicon photonics is to connect your PC with other devices, in the same room, building, or across the country at the speed of light.

**triggerhappy2005** · 08-01-10, 12:56 PM

I still don't see how this could be done cross country. In the same room or within the computer, sure.

It seems that most people here think this has to do with internet d/l speeds and it clearly doesn't.

**flame** · 08-01-10, 01:12 PM

I think the point is, data can only travel as fast as it is being sent. With a chip capable of sending the info faster, it speeds up the entire system.

**triggerhappy2005** · 08-01-10, 04:13 PM

Perhaps Flame but people posting in this thread are under the impression this has to do with d/l speeds.

**HeavyG** · 08-01-10, 05:47 PM

Originally Posted by triggerhappy2005

Perhaps Flame but people posting in this thread are under the impression this has to do with d/l speeds.

Not sure what you really mean by this, but if you want to go that route, it somewhat does have to do with download speeds. If it can transfer larger amounts of data at a higher rate of speed (speed of light), how would that not relate to d/l speeds?

**triggerhappy2005** · 08-02-10, 01:48 AM

Because the developers are talking aren't talking about this for internet usage but for internal or network usage.

**HeavyG** · 08-02-10, 04:59 AM

Originally Posted by triggerhappy2005

Because the developers are talking aren't talking about this for internet usage but for internal or network usage.

You are wrong. Read or watch some more videos about Intel's Silicon Photonics research team (as well as IBM) and you will see that the goal for this is to handle both local and wide area networks connecting from coast to cost, or even reaching distances overseas and cross continents, with all data traveling at the speed of light.

This is probably going to be the way of the future, unless someone else comes up with a data transfer faster than the speed of light.