Every time a question is sent to an AI chatbot, data races across thousands of processors via pulses of light in optical fibers. Inside data centers, switch chips manage this traffic, while specialized transceivers convert electronic bits into photons and back. As AI clusters expand, the energy consumption of these translations has climbed to a level that operators now treat as urgent.
Co-packaged optics is an engineering response to that pressure. It aims to integrate light-handling components directly with processing chips. This article explores the limitations of conventional optical modules, the principles of co-packaged optics, and the current status of its commercial deployment.
Pour en savoir plus : Co-Packaged Optics Explained
