3D Processor With Optical IO - Silicon Nanophotonics

The holy grail of of 21st Century computing is the optical CPU. At IBM research, they are one step closer to a concept that will make this a reality.

They are looking at creating a nanophotonic circuit, one that will allow light to be manipulated in the same way electrical signals are. The creation of optical circuits inside the CPU.

Optical communication is not new to computing. In fact fiber optical cables have been transporting vast amounts of data across continents for decades. Now scientists are looking to take the next step on an even smaller scale.

As we design multicore CPU with increasing frequency, we increasingly in need of a method of transporting the vast amounts of data they generate between each other more efficiently. To do this, chips need to increase their parallelism and cooperation.

3D chips with integrated optical layers can supply that demand. IBM is looking to layer the next generation CPU with a photonics layer that will provide a broadband optical link between chips. The blending of optical and electrical circuitry is the beginning of the age of silicon nanophotonics and will extend Moore's law beyond the next decade.

The "Blue Waters" massively parallel Power7-based supercomputer has its own proprietary optical network, coupling one million optical links. This is what allows it to reach its 10 petaflops of peak performance.

In Related Stories
Photonics: Photonics Breakthrough for Silicon Chips