Intel shows off first fully integrated optical compute interconnect, designed to scale up AI workloads - SiliconANGLE
๐ Abstract
The article discusses Intel's progress in developing integrated photonics technology for high-speed data transfers, including the company's announcement of the industry's first "fully integrated optical compute interconnect" (OCI) chiplet co-packaged with an Intel CPU. The article highlights the potential of silicon photonics to address the growing bandwidth demands of AI workloads in data centers.
๐ Q&A
[01] Intel's Integrated Photonics Milestone
1. What is the key milestone that Intel has achieved in integrated photonics technology?
- Intel has developed the industry's first "fully integrated optical compute interconnect" (OCI) chiplet, which is co-packaged with an Intel-made central processing unit.
- This new chip represents a significant leap forward in high-bandwidth data interconnect performance, enabling faster data transfers over longer distances compared to traditional electronics.
2. How does Intel's OCI chiplet improve upon existing electrical I/O interconnects?
- Existing electrical I/O technologies can only support high-bandwidth densities over very short distances of 1 meter or less.
- Intel's OCI chiplet can support up to 64 channels of 32 GB/s data transmission in each direction over up to 100 meters of fiber optic cables, providing much longer reach and higher bandwidth.
- This allows for better scaling of CPU/GPU clusters used in AI applications, enabling more efficient communication between "houses" (compute nodes) in the "neighborhood" (data center).
3. What are the key benefits of Intel's OCI chiplet technology?
- Increased bandwidth: The OCI chiplet can support up to 64 channels of 32 GB/s data transmission in each direction.
- Longer reach: The technology can operate over up to 100 meters of fiber optic cables, much longer than the 1 meter limit of existing electrical I/O.
- Reduced power consumption: The OCI chiplet promises to reduce the energy levels required for high-bandwidth data transfers compared to pluggable optical transceiver modules.
[02] Importance of Silicon Photonics for AI Workloads
1. Why is the need for silicon photonics technology more urgent than ever?
- The demands of increasingly powerful AI models are putting immense strain on existing data center infrastructures, as these models require more and more data.
- Existing chip interconnects can barely keep up with the growing bandwidth requirements of these AI workloads.
- Silicon photonics is desperately needed to support the growth of AI and enable the scaling of CPU/GPU clusters used in AI applications.
2. How does Intel's OCI chiplet address the challenges of supporting AI workloads?
- The OCI chiplet can provide the high-bandwidth, long-reach data interconnect capabilities required to scale up clusters of CPUs and GPUs for AI applications.
- By enabling more efficient communication between compute nodes in the data center, the OCI chiplet promises to "revolutionize high-performance AI infrastructure."