Agentic or “agent”-based computers are goal oriented and are built around one or more autonomous agents that can plan, make decisions, and act over time to achieve goals. Computers have evolved into many forms, often to address specific applications or market segments. The mainframe computer from the 1960s was the genesis of a proliferation ofRead More

Artificial intelligence has become the primary driver of advanced high-speed copper and optical technology and products. The 2026 edition of the Optical Fiber Communications Conference and Exhibition filled both the south and west exhibition halls of the Los Angeles Convention Center, with some presentations spilling out to nearby hotel venues. Attendance continues to grow withRead More

DesignCon 2026 opened the 26th edition of this premier technical conference reflecting the incredible advances in technology and products being driven by artificial intelligence. 2025 was an outstanding year for revenue growth in nearly every segment of the computing equipment and component market including electronic connectors which grew 14.7%, according to Bishop & Associates. ExpectationsRead More

The inability to supply the demand for energy needed for the exploding growth of AI is known as the Power Wall. This factor could become a significant obstacle to continuing AI advances. The relentless growth of Artificial Intelligence has been the technology topic of 2025. The inability to supply the subsequent demand for energy isRead More

Advanced signal conditioning and error correction have contributed to achieving channel bandwidth far beyond what was expected just a few years ago. Moving to a higher order modulation provides a pathway to achieving next generation speeds. Constantly increasing data transmission speed over a communication link has been a key enabler of achieving higher computing performanceRead More

Linear optical transceivers and co-packaged optics are evolving interconnect technologies that target the spiraling increase of power consumption. Strategies like these will be key to enabling future generations of high-performance computing systems. A common mantra in the computer design community today is the urgent quest to slow the growth of power consumption. Industry pundits debateRead More

Much of the computing equipment world — and particularly data centers — dedicated to artificial intelligence workloads have a problem. They eat too much electrical energy, generate too much heat, and consume inordinate amounts of water. Communities that once welcomed the construction of a data center now question whether the local infrastructure can support theRead More

AI leadership could give countries a major advantage in exploring advanced physics, energy production, and cybersecurity, as well as developing new materials, medications, and manufacturing processes that will leave other nations in the dust. Competition between nations, tribes, cities, and individuals seems to be baked into human experience and has resulted in stunning cultural advancesRead More

The process of ensuring signal integrity is not a precise science. Even the tiniest nuance anywhere along a channel can cause reflections, crosstalk, or prohibited levels of emitted radiation. A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, designers of high-speed digital circuits could quickly verify performance by building a physical “breadboard” prototype. EngineersRead More

OSFP-XD pluggables are targeting AI applications in data centers, high-performance computing (HPC), and select telecom networks. Connectors designed to transfer information in and out of a server, switch, or router have long been recognized as a potential data bottleneck. Processing chips often spend half their time waiting to receive information necessary to function, resulting inRead More

Cable backplanes have been a longtime feature of high-performance computing, undergoing several evolutions to keep up with speed and bandwidth requirements. However, as next-generation AI computing systems take hold, the practical limits of copper have been reached, pushing connector suppliers to create products that include optical solutions. Traditional backplane and daughtercard design has been aRead More

From data center interconnects and energy-efficient optical networks, this year’s show highlighted advances in coherent transmission systems, photonic integration for AI applications, and intelligent network automation that will reshape global connectivity. The 50th anniversary edition of the Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exhibition reflected the enormous growth and enthusiasm for the future of optical networkingRead More