wiredinUSA April 2014

INDEX

Intel will shortly begin commercial production of an 800 gigabit per second optical network cable. The new cable is based on technology developed in its Silicon Photonics facility. The new optical cables are designed to allow servers to communicate more efficiently than is possible using traditional copper cables. Optical fiber having become the norm for data transfer over long distances, many ISPs are offering direct fiber-to-the-home services even though the use of finer optic cables in data centers has lagged behind. Cables offer 800Gps

“The biggest hurdle to higher optical connections has been cost,” said Victor Krutul, marketing director of Intel’s Silicon Photonics Solutions group. He added that the new technology has been engineered with consideration to cost, but prices and likely shipping dates are not yet available. Facebook already uses Intel spec server racks and other optical-ready equipment. The company could become Intel’s first customer for the ultra high-speed data cables.

wiredInUSA - April 2014

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