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
The interconnect industry’s biggest gathering celebrated its 30th anniversary this year. Technologist Bob Hult has attended every one of them. Here’s what captured his attention this year. DesignCon 2025 marked the 30th anniversary of this premier technical conference for designers of high-performance chips and printed circuit board systems. An increasing number of attendees are drawnRead More
Generative AI, with its massive training workloads, is having a huge impact on a broad range of technologies and related hardware supply chains. It is nearly impossible to avoid hearing about how artificial intelligence has begun impacting nearly every aspect of our lives. Already, AI is being applied to everything from medical diagnostics to judgingRead More
Meet the Cable: MTP/MPO Cables MTP and MPO cables are critical components in telecommunication networks and high-speed computing environments such as data centers. These optical cables deliver the higher transmission speeds and larger capacity requirements of cloud computing in the era of big data. MTP and MPO cables have similar appearances, but there are severalRead More
Heat has a direct effect on device reliability. As the internal temperature of a chip exceeds its maximum rating, reliability begins to drop off. This results in a shortened life or complete chip failure. Advancing the limits of computing performance has been a constant defining objective of system designers since the first commercial computers wereRead More
Approaching the physical limits of traditional silicon chip technology, many predicted we would soon witness the death of Moore’s law. Multi-chip advanced packaging and the rise of silicon photonics offer a path to resuscitation. Not long ago, the consensus among many engineers was that the practical limits of shrinking semiconductor chip features had been reached,Read More
Engineers are rethinking system architecture to accommodate increasing data rates and performance demands. Emerging technologies like co-packaged optics and OSFP-XD pluggables promise higher bandwidth and improved efficiency. Unless you have spent the last two years living in a remote cave in the Himalayas, the emergence of artificial intelligence has likely caught your attention. There isRead More
Advanced connectivity solutions are emerging to support new AI data center architectures. High-speed board-to-board connectors, next-generation cables, backplanes, and near-ASIC connector-to-cable solutions operating at speeds up to 224 Gb/s-PAM4 will accelerate the future of computing. By Wai Kiong Poon, Senior Global Product Manager for Mirror Mezz, Molex Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) applicationsRead More
The U.S. Commerce Department has released its strategic vision for the U.S. Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute to advance AI with safety and responsible innovation. Hardware development is an important part of the conversation. The rapid development and integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into various aspects of society necessitate the development of standards and guidelines toRead More
Bob Hult shares the phenomenal advances in high-speed optical communications showcased at OFC 2024, including interconnects for 200G per lane optical transmission, liquid cooling, co-packaged optics, PAM6, and other technologies that take us far beyond the reach of copper. The 2024 Optical Networking and Communication Conference and Exposition March 24-April 3 in San Diego nearlyRead More
A system cannot sustainably operate if all components are constantly at maximum stress capacity. The ticket to longevity lies in designing a component system that can tolerate electrical fluctuations as well as physical movement of the hardware. Data centers, data storage, data display on screens – managing the amount of data and the many venuesRead More
An alternative to traditional IT infrastructure enables organizations to access advanced computing resources in harsh environments or remote locations without investing in proprietary data centers. Interconnects in edge nodes transmit data without the data center. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) allows organizations to tap into scalable, high-speed networks without investing in onsite data center equipment.Read More
