IBM’s Optical Transceiver
IBM on Monday announced the manufacture of a tiny optical chipset capable of moving data at speeds of 160GB per second, a feat that would make it possible to down a high-definition movie in a second.
A prototype of the hardware, called an optical transceiver, is scheduled to be introduced Thursday at the 2007 Optical Fiber Conference in Anaheim, Calif.
The chipset, which IBM claims is eight times faster than optical components in use today, streams data within computer systems over light pulses sent through plastic tubes, instead of over electrons traveling through copper wire.
The old way moves data around 5gb/sec, so this is a big step in the right direction
IBM believes it could eventually sell its 160GB per second chipset for between $500 and $600, or about the same prices as a 10GB per second chip available today.
It’s still 5-7 years away from hitting ‘end users’ such as myself, but at that speed and size (chips are smaller than a dime) its well worth the wait. I’m just interested to learn how they make plastic tubing that small and rigid.