Intel Corporation announced a collaboration with Facebook* to define the next
generation of rack technologies used to power the world's largest data centers.
As part of the collaboration, the companies also unveiled a mechanical prototype
built by Quanta Computer* that includes Intel's new, innovative photonic rack
architecture to show the total cost, design and reliability improvement
potential of a disaggregated rack environment.
"Intel and Facebook are collaborating on a new disaggregated, rack-scale
server architecture that enables independent upgrading of compute, network and
storage subsystems that will define the future of mega-datacenter designs for
the next decade," said Justin Rattner, Intel's chief technology officer during
his keynote address at Open Computer Summit in Santa Clara, Calif. "The
disaggregated rack architecture includes Intel's new photonic architecture,
based on high-bandwidth, 100Gbps Intel® Silicon Photonics Technology, that
enables fewer cables, increased bandwidth, farther reach and extreme power
efficiency compared to today's copper based interconnects."
Rattner explained that the new architecture is based on more than a
decade's worth of research to invent a family of silicon-based photonic devices,
including lasers, modulators and detectors using low-cost silicon to fully
integrate photonic devices of unprecedented speed and energy efficiency. Silicon photonics is a new approach to using light (photons)
to move huge amounts of data at very high speeds with extremely low power over a
thin optical fiber rather than using electrical signals over a copper cable.
Intel has spent the past two years proving its silicon photonics technology was
production-worthy, and has now produced engineering samples.
Silicon photonics made with inexpensive silicon rather than expensive and
exotic optical materials provides a distinct cost advantage over older optical
technologies in addition to providing greater speed, reliability and scalability
benefits. Businesses with server farms or massive data centers could eliminate
performance bottlenecks and ensure long-term upgradability while saving
significant operational costs in space and energy.
