Groundbreaking Research Achieves Unprecedented Data Transmission Rates
Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:
Data centers are the backbone of today's information technology infrastructure. These centralized hubs are built to manage, store, and distribute large quantities of data and applications, acting as the control centers for digital services and businesses globally. They are essential for maintaining data access, enabling scalability, facilitating disaster recovery, and ensuring strong security protocols, thus supporting the smooth operation of our globally connected digital world.
At the heart of data center operations lie data center interconnects, the vital networking infrastructure responsible for facilitating communication between various components within and across data centers. Digital-to-analog converters (DACs) are indispensable components within these interconnects, tasked with converting digital signals into analog signals for transmission over copper cables. Their role in enabling high-speed, cost-effective, and low-latency connectivity cannot be overstated. However, the challenge arises from the requirement for high-resolution DACs, which poses a significant bottleneck due to the associated increase in the costs of optical modules.
Addressing this challenge head-on, researchers have presented a groundbreaking solution that combines a look-up-table-based nonlinear predistortion technique with digital resolution enhancement. This innovative approach, reported in Advanced Photonics Nexus, aims to alleviate the limitations imposed by high-resolution DACs while maintaining efficient data transfer and communication within data center interconnects.
[...] Notably, the digital signal processing technique enabled the transmission of signals at rates exceeding 124 GBd PAM-4/6 and 112 GBd PAM-8 over 2 km of standard single-mode fiber using 3/3.5/4-bit DACs. Additionally, it facilitated the transmission of 124 GBd PAM-2/3/4 signals over 40 km of standard single-mode fiber using 1.5/2/3-bit DACs. These results represent a significant advancement in data center interconnect technology, demonstrating the feasibility of supporting the next generation of ethernet links targeting speeds of up to 800-GbE or potentially even 1.6-TbE.
Read more of this story at SoylentNews.