Intel Testing Photonics for 1 Tbps Data Speed

Intel is making a major research push into fiber optics technology, detailing a project it’s calling Silicon Photonics Link, which it says could deliver data-transmission speeds of up to 1 Tbps.

The problem, CTO Justin Rattner explained, is that copper technology suffers from physical speed limitations that cap how far data can travel, and see transmission rates slow down as the distance increases.

Hardware Central takes a look at Intel’s Silicon Photonics Link, which starts at a base speed of 50 Gbps, and will take off from there, though don’t look for it on the market anytime soon.

Intel on Tuesday announced the latest step in its research into fiber optics with the disclosure of a silicon/laser combination called Silicon Photonics Link technology that could someday move data at up to one terabit per second.

Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) CTO Justin Rattner identified the problem facing everyone today: copper wire used in network cabling is pushing its maximum speed limit when it goes beyond 10 gigabits per second (Gbps) and the faster the data is transmitted, the shorter of a distance it travels. One gigabit Ethernet has a max distance over cable of about 100 meters, while 10GbE can travel a maximum of 55 meters.

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Intel Talks Up Photonics for Faster Data Transmission