Avago Technologies Collaborates with IBM on High Bandwidth Optical Interconnect Breakthrough for Supercomputers

Avago's new miniature 12-channel parallel optic transmitter and receiver modules, designed in collaboration with IBM, are capable of handling data rates up to 120 gigabits per second, a record transfer rate that is two times faster than current data rates, taking high-performance computing to an entire new level in terms of processing throughput. Such high performance rates could allow further advances in such grand challenges as automobile safety, weather forecasting, and the discovery of new drugs and worldwide oil reserves.

The first of these micro-parallel modules have been designed specifically for IBM and will first appear in the company's new generation POWER7™ supercomputing systems.

“This achievement is the culmination of a three year collaboration between Avago and IBM,” said Philip Gadd, vice president and general manager, Fiber Optics Product Division, Avago Technologies. This is all about working together closely with our clients to deliver value and marrying the expertise of two innovative companies to create and deliver technological advances that help differentiate us in our respective markets. We are proud to have worked alongside IBM to realize this remarkable achievement.”

The micro-parallel optics modules created for next-generation IBM POWER7 systems feature the smallest form factors in the industry and incorporate a highly-integrated package for dense tiling of the modules in the host system. The embedded optics solution provided by Avago enables improved system performance via superior signal integrity, thermal management and EMI design.

“This is an important achievement for the future of fiber optic technologies and high-performance computing, said Ed Seminaro, IBM Fellow, Power Systems Development, IBM Systems & Technology Group. “We are pleased that we were able to play a significant part in the definition and qualification of new optical technology that enables the processing of enormous amounts of information in real time.