Terabit Photonics

Ultra high speed and short distance electrical interconnects are a vexing problem. Connecting a microprocessor to an I/O or memory subsystem can be a significant challenge when designing a supercomputer or core router or telecommunications equipment. Moving 100s of Gb/sec across a board or between boards, using the traditional technique of copper wires, requires quite a bit of power and generates tremendous electrical noise. It is a limiting factor in how fast you can build your systems.
GK Chang, a Professor in Electrical Engineering at Georgia Tech and a GRA Eminent Scholar, and Sr Researcher Dan Guidotti have developed a novel way to address this problem. Their solution is to use lasers along with a flexible waveguide. This low cost 'strap' can carry up to a Terabit/sec and is designed to be easily replaced in a system should any of the lasers fail.

Terabit Photonics has been created to commercialize their research. The company hopes to have product in the hands of customers in early 2009.