UC Boulder microprocessor talks to its memory with light
by from Techreport on (#YMDP)
2015 has been a big year for photonics. In May, IBM announced a silicon photonics transceiver fabricated using standard silicon fabrication processes. Now, researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have unveiled a microprocessor that can talk to its main memory with light. This processor uses traditional electronic circuits in conjunction with 850 optical input/output components to demonstrate the advantages of light-based signaling. It's also worth noting that this chip was produced using traditional silicon manufacturing processes.
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