Avicena will Showcase the World’s Smallest 1Tbps Optical Transceiver at the SuperComputing Conference 2023 in Denver, CO
November 14, 2023 | AvicenaEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
Avicena, a privately held company headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA, is demonstrating the world’s smallest 1Tbps optical transceiver as part its LightBundleTM multi-Tbps chip-to-chip interconnect technology at the SuperComputing Conference (SC23) in Denver, CO. Avicena’s microLED-based LightBundle architecture supports unprecedented throughput, shoreline density and low power, unlocking the performance of processors, memory, and sensors.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is driving an unprecedented surge in demand for compute and memory performance, driven by applications like ChatGPT based on large language models (LLMs). These sophisticated models have an insatiable appetite for computing power and fast access to large amounts of memory, resulting in an urgent and growing demand for much higher density low-power interconnects between Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) and high-bandwidth memory (HBM) modules. Today, HBM modules must be co-packaged with GPUs because the GPU-memory electrical interconnect is limited to just a few millimeters in length. Subsequent HBM generations will require IC shoreline densities in the range of 10Tbps/mm or more. Conventional optical interconnects based on VCSELs or Silicon Photonics (SiPh) promise to extend the interconnect reach but struggle to meet size, bandwidth density, power, latency, operating temperature, and cost requirements. By contrast, Avicena’s microLED-based LightBundle interconnects provide higher bandwidth density, much smaller size, much lower power and latency, and very low costs.
“At Avicena we are excited to showcase the world’s most compact 1Tbps transceiver in the shape of a 3mm x 4mm CMOS ASIC using our patented microLED optical interface,” says Bardia Pezeshki, Founder and CEO of Avicena. “Everyone is talking about SiPh solutions for applications in AI clusters. However, for short reach interconnects with less than 10m reach, we believe that our LED based solution is inherently better suited because the compact size, higher bandwidth density, lower power and latency, and temperature tolerance up to 150°C.”
Avicena’s innovations are supported by key investors including Samsung Catalyst Fund, Cerberus Capital Management, Clear Ventures, and Micron Ventures.
“Optical interconnect technology has the potential to improve chip-to-chip and inter-rack performance,” says Marco Chisari, head of the Samsung Semiconductor Innovation Center. “With a roadmap to multi-Tbps capacity and sub-pJ/bit power efficiency, Avicena’s innovative LightBundle interconnects can enable the next era of AI innovation, paving the way for even more capable models and a wide range of AI applications that will shape the future.”
Suggested Items
Saki to Highlight Advanced Inspection Innovation at 39th NEPCON JAPAN
12/23/2024 | Saki CorporationSaki Corporation, an innovator in the field of automated optical and X-ray inspection equipment, will be exhibiting at the 39th NEPCON JAPAN at the Tokyo Big Site Exhibition Center.
Hitachi Energy Wins Over EUR 2 Billion Oder from Amprion
12/23/2024 | Hitachi EnergyHitachi Energy has signed contracts totaling over 2 billion euros with German transmission system operator (TSO) Amprion to deliver four converter stations for two high-voltage direct current (HVDC) links that will support Germany’s clean energy transition.
Two Additional Boeing O3b mPOWER Satellites Successfully Communicating in Space
12/23/2024 | BoeingTwo more Boeing-built O3b mPOWER satellites are sending and receiving signals in space after launching from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida at 5:26 p.m.
The Knowledge Base: The Era of Advanced Packaging
12/23/2024 | Mike Konrad -- Column: The Knowledge BaseThe semiconductor industry is at a pivotal juncture. As the traditional scaling predicted by Moore's Law encounters significant physical and economic barriers, transistor density can no longer double every two years without escalating costs and complications. As a result, the industry is shifting its focus from chip-level advancements to innovative packaging and substrate technologies. I Invited Dr. Nava Shpaisman, strategic collaboration manager at KLA, to provide some insight.
GB200 Rack Supply Chain Requires Further Optimization, Peak Shipments Expected Between 2Q25 and 3Q25
12/18/2024 | TrendForceAs the market closely follows the progress of NVIDIA’s GB200 rack-mounted solution, TrendForce’s latest research indicates that the supply chain requires additional time for optimization and adjustment.