Holey Optochip!

Blackice · Mar 11, 2012

This just in from Tom's Hardware: http://www.tomshardware.com/news/ibm-science-fiber-optics-optochip-cmos,14956.html#xtor=RSS-998

IBM has a prototype chip that features enough bandwidth to download 500 HD movies in just one second, or all content held by the Library of Congress in just about one hour.

This claim boils down to a parallel optical transceiver that is first to boast the capability of transferring one trillion bits (1 Tbps or about 116.4 GBps). According to IBM, the chip is about eight times faster than any parallel optical component that is available today and delivers a 100,000 times the "raw" speed that is equivalent to the bandwidth that is typically consumed by end users today (10 Mbps).

IBM said that key to improving the speed of the chip was adding 48 holes (optical vias) to a standard 90 nm CMOS, which provides access to 24 receiver and 24 transmitter channels. The fact that it is based on optical communication features gave the chip its name - the Holey Optochip. IBM says the 5.2 mm x 5.8 mm chip can be fabricated using today's silicon manufacturing techniques, which gives the technology instant scale. Apparently the chip is also very power-efficient at a power consumption of just 5 watts.

There was no information when or if this chip will be put into production.
Click to expand...

mwhays · Mar 13, 2012

whoa.
someone just got a bonus at IBM.

doctorie · Mar 14, 2012

nice..thats badass

Sogetsu · Mar 15, 2012

That'll create some heat. In more ways than one.

Rune · Mar 15, 2012

Holy shit. . . holy optochip. ._.

mwhays · Mar 20, 2012

did you guys read about the 186gbps internet CERN is working out?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/16/worlds-fastest-internet_n_1154065.html

SamHamwich · Mar 20, 2012

Pretty crazy stuff, soon enough well have more power at our fingertips than the entire world does at this moment in time.

Hanuman · Mar 21, 2012

Finally, now we need better good and cheap batteries, next good witricity and stable renewable power.

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Holey Optochip!

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