Analysis of the Development Trend of Inter-Chip Optical Interconnection

With the acceleration of digital transformation and upgrading across various industries, the rapid popularization and application of new technologies such as big data and cloud computing have driven the exponential growth in demand for computing power, particularly with the emergence of artificial intelligence large models in recent years. Currently, electronic information technology faces challenges related to bandwidth limitations and energy consumption issues, while Moore’s law is confronted with potential failure. In comparison to electrical signals, optical signals offer numerous advantages including larger transmission bandwidth, minimal transmission loss, robust anti-interference capabilities, and parallel transmission. Consequently, optical interconnection has become a crucial direction for information technology development. The ongoing trend of " optical advance and copper retreat" continues as optical interconnection applications transition from racks and boards to chips. Integrating photonic and electronic devices within a single chip package not only enhances integration levels and port density but also achieves lower power consumption rates along with reduced latency periods. Developing inter-chip optical interconnections has emerged as one of the current research topics. The paper analyzes the latest technological trends in optical interconnects between chips, focusing on two key application scenarios of computing infrastructure: data centers and computing centers. It also analyzes the progress of industrial ecology and standardization, while evaluating its development trajectory. This paper conducts a comprehensive study from the perspectives of technology, industry, and application, elucidating that optical interconnection can effectively enhance the interconnection performance between the switching chip and external devices in data centers. It can also improve the performance between the computing chips and external devices in computing centers, with regards to bandwidth, energy consumption, and delay. Currently, there has been initial progress in inter-chip optical interconnection, accompanied by increasing research interest in related technologies and standardization efforts within the industry. However, compared to data centers, inter-chip optical interconnection technology for computing centers has higher performance requirements while lagging behind in industrialization and standardization progress. Overall, short-distance optical interconnections will further leverage their inherent advantages to explore application potential and support continuous advancements in information and communication technology.