Comments on: IBM ‘silicon nanophotonics’ breakthrough integrates optical and electrical circuits http://www.kurzweilai.net/ibm-silicon-nanophotonics-breakthrough-integrates-optical-and-electrical-circuits Accelerating Intelligence Sun, 26 May 2013 01:39:46 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: John Miller http://www.kurzweilai.net/ibm-silicon-nanophotonics-breakthrough-integrates-optical-and-electrical-circuits/comment-page-1#comment-71174 John Miller Sat, 15 Dec 2012 18:43:11 +0000 http://www.kurzweilai.net/?p=174073#comment-71174 Right on time! Awesome. Right on time! Awesome.

]]> By: Mr.X http://www.kurzweilai.net/ibm-silicon-nanophotonics-breakthrough-integrates-optical-and-electrical-circuits/comment-page-1#comment-70478 Mr.X Fri, 14 Dec 2012 23:38:35 +0000 http://www.kurzweilai.net/?p=174073#comment-70478 @Tom: Thanks for your comment! @Tom: Thanks for your comment!

]]> By: Tom http://www.kurzweilai.net/ibm-silicon-nanophotonics-breakthrough-integrates-optical-and-electrical-circuits/comment-page-1#comment-70477 Tom Fri, 14 Dec 2012 23:37:48 +0000 http://www.kurzweilai.net/?p=174073#comment-70477 "Since a computer system’s processing speed is pretty much bound by the speed at which you are able to move data to the processor for it to work on" is true only for centralized processing. Distributed processing and highly interconnected parallel processing is an improvement on that, though we're not very good at making computers that way, yet, although getting better all the time. The improvements in transmission velocity and bandwidth, and reduced joule effect will enhance both centralized AND distributed processing, at all scales. Next will be quantum coupled particle trasmission with effectively zero transmission time, and bandwidth orders of magnitude over optical transmission, at all scales. “Since a computer system’s processing speed is pretty much bound by the speed at which you are able to move data to the processor for it to work on”
is true only for centralized processing. Distributed processing and highly interconnected parallel processing is an improvement on that, though we’re not very good at making computers that way, yet, although getting better all the time.
The improvements in transmission velocity and bandwidth, and reduced joule effect will enhance both centralized AND distributed processing, at all scales.
Next will be quantum coupled particle trasmission with effectively zero transmission time, and bandwidth orders of magnitude over optical transmission, at all scales.

]]> By: Mr.X http://www.kurzweilai.net/ibm-silicon-nanophotonics-breakthrough-integrates-optical-and-electrical-circuits/comment-page-1#comment-67466 Mr.X Tue, 11 Dec 2012 15:02:19 +0000 http://www.kurzweilai.net/?p=174073#comment-67466 @ Kay, Mel and Rowe: Thanks for all your explanations.They are greatly appreciated. @ Kay, Mel and Rowe:
Thanks for all your explanations.They are greatly appreciated.

]]> By: Bri http://www.kurzweilai.net/ibm-silicon-nanophotonics-breakthrough-integrates-optical-and-electrical-circuits/comment-page-1#comment-67097 Bri Tue, 11 Dec 2012 03:38:36 +0000 http://www.kurzweilai.net/?p=174073#comment-67097 As I remember, the light used can be of different frequencies. This means that you could have multiple levels of information at the same time. So it's not just the speed difference, but also the multiplexing possibilities. There are a lot of frequencies that can be pulse modulated at the same time. As we get into multi sensory communication for telepresence, we are going to need these photonic breakthroughs. This has the potential to make bandwidth explode. Once this becomes readily available, it will open the door for some amazing capabilities. As I remember, the light used can be of different frequencies. This means that you could have multiple levels of information at the same time. So it’s not just the speed difference, but also the multiplexing possibilities. There are a lot of frequencies that can be pulse modulated at the same time. As we get into multi sensory communication for telepresence, we are going to need these photonic breakthroughs. This has the potential to make bandwidth explode. Once this becomes readily available, it will open the door for some amazing capabilities.

]]> By: Rowe764 http://www.kurzweilai.net/ibm-silicon-nanophotonics-breakthrough-integrates-optical-and-electrical-circuits/comment-page-1#comment-67037 Rowe764 Tue, 11 Dec 2012 01:07:11 +0000 http://www.kurzweilai.net/?p=174073#comment-67037 Since a computer system's processing speed is pretty much bound by the speed at which you are able to move data to the processor for it to work on, any kind of bottle neck that exists between that processor and the data becomes an enormous issue when you start getting into Big Data. In other words, if I had a processor that was able to read a book and then do something with whatever that book contained, you wouldn't want to give that processor a problem that required it to read 5,000,000 books and then have a person like me fetching and carrying each book 1 at a time from another room to the processor - that would take forever. What IBM is trying to do is take the current speeds at which data can be retreived from storage and moved to the processor and make it many times faster than what is currently possible. By integrating light-based communication channels into the current chips, you are basically replacing an analog phone line with fiber optics right on the chip itself. Hope that helps :) Since a computer system’s processing speed is pretty much bound by the speed at which you are able to move data to the processor for it to work on, any kind of bottle neck that exists between that processor and the data becomes an enormous issue when you start getting into Big Data.

In other words, if I had a processor that was able to read a book and then do something with whatever that book contained, you wouldn’t want to give that processor a problem that required it to read 5,000,000 books and then have a person like me fetching and carrying each book 1 at a time from another room to the processor – that would take forever.

What IBM is trying to do is take the current speeds at which data can be retreived from storage and moved to the processor and make it many times faster than what is currently possible.

By integrating light-based communication channels into the current chips, you are basically replacing an analog phone line with fiber optics right on the chip itself.

Hope that helps :)

]]> By: melajara http://www.kurzweilai.net/ibm-silicon-nanophotonics-breakthrough-integrates-optical-and-electrical-circuits/comment-page-1#comment-66995 melajara Mon, 10 Dec 2012 23:39:07 +0000 http://www.kurzweilai.net/?p=174073#comment-66995 This is simply solving, in an utmost elegant way, a thorny issue in IT, I/O bottleneck! See e.g. this (dated) article http://www.enterprisestorageforum.com/technology/features/article.php/3856121/IO-Bottlenecks-Biggest-Threat-to-Data-Storage.htm This achievement will tend to reequilibrate the entire computer stack. Besides, it's yet another step toward the holy Grail, computing with photons instead of electrons, with no resistance anymore and no Joule effect i.e. (over)heating ;-) This is simply solving, in an utmost elegant way, a thorny issue in IT, I/O bottleneck!

See e.g. this (dated) article http://www.enterprisestorageforum.com/technology/features/article.php/3856121/IO-Bottlenecks-Biggest-Threat-to-Data-Storage.htm

This achievement will tend to reequilibrate the entire computer stack. Besides, it’s yet another step toward the holy Grail, computing with photons instead of electrons, with no resistance anymore and no Joule effect i.e. (over)heating ;-)

]]> By: Kay Rottzweil http://www.kurzweilai.net/ibm-silicon-nanophotonics-breakthrough-integrates-optical-and-electrical-circuits/comment-page-1#comment-66968 Kay Rottzweil Mon, 10 Dec 2012 22:35:33 +0000 http://www.kurzweilai.net/?p=174073#comment-66968 It lets components communicate at a higher bandwidth. The SATA cables inside your computer use copper I believe, but with this you could use fiber optics instead. Also you might be able to outsource components like RAM and hard drives into the cloud with a low latency fiber optic connection. It lets components communicate at a higher bandwidth. The SATA cables inside your computer use copper I believe, but with this you could use fiber optics instead. Also you might be able to outsource components like RAM and hard drives into the cloud with a low latency fiber optic connection.

]]> By: Mr.X http://www.kurzweilai.net/ibm-silicon-nanophotonics-breakthrough-integrates-optical-and-electrical-circuits/comment-page-1#comment-66890 Mr.X Mon, 10 Dec 2012 19:56:26 +0000 http://www.kurzweilai.net/?p=174073#comment-66890 @ Whittaker: "Truly exciting news. Thanks for sharing." Could you please explain -for the sake of those among us who are not as technically adept- why exactly this is a truly exciting breakthrough? Of course, the word "breakthrough" implies that a certain amount of excitement/appreciation is appropriate.Would that I could...;) Thanks in advance (for sharing). @ Whittaker: “Truly exciting news. Thanks for sharing.”

Could you please explain -for the sake of those among us who are not as technically adept- why exactly this is a truly exciting breakthrough?

Of course, the word “breakthrough” implies that a certain amount of excitement/appreciation is appropriate.Would that I could…;)

Thanks in advance (for sharing).

]]> By: Whittaker http://www.kurzweilai.net/ibm-silicon-nanophotonics-breakthrough-integrates-optical-and-electrical-circuits/comment-page-1#comment-66850 Whittaker Mon, 10 Dec 2012 18:45:58 +0000 http://www.kurzweilai.net/?p=174073#comment-66850 Truly exciting news. Thanks for sharing. Truly exciting news. Thanks for sharing.

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