Optical interconnects for AI/HPC - Joris Van Campenhout, imec

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and High-Performance Computing (HPC) are driving an insatiable demand for data communication with higher bandwidth, lower power and lower latency. Traditional electrical interconnects are approaching their physical limitations, necessitating the exploration of new paradigms. Optical interconnects have emerged as a promising alternative at increasingly shorter interconnect distances, offering the potential to meet the escalating bandwidth requirements in those application domains.

This talk delves into the world of optical interconnects and their transformative impact on AI and high-performance compute systems. We will outline our vision for bringing optical interconnects to the package and wafer-level, leveraging scaled Silicon Photonics and 3D technologies, and share some recent results from our ongoing research and development efforts.