We’re talking about emerging technology in networking in this episode for sure! Silicon photonics sounds like something straight out of the realm of science fiction, but the technology behind it has been around for years. The problem is simple: copper wires can only shrink so much and electricity generates heat of any size. The more we try to shrink equipment, the more likely we are to run into barriers we can’t overcome.
The brightest minds in networking know that moving past 400 gigabit Ethernet is going to be difficult without a shift to these advanced new techniques. We can’t keep up with the pace of technology with the limits that we have in place today. That means exploring new ideas and implementing them in ways that are cost-effective. Exotic lasers and transparent silicon wafers may sound incredible, but then again so did hard drives without moving parts and networking without wires so many years ago.
In this episode of Tomversations, we explore the ideas behind silicon photonics and talk about applications that could see our processing power and networking speeds radically increase sooner than we think. When our need for more speed and power eclipses what we use today, it’s time to start thinking about tomorrow’s solutions.
Show Notes
- Silicon Photonics Overview at TechTarget
- The Promise of Silicon Photonics from PhysicsWorld
- Intel’s Research Into Silicon Photonics
- List of Silicon Photonics Articles at Nature
- Silicon Photonics in Quantum Computing
