Overview of large-scale optical-electrical switching networks for artificial intelligent data center (AIDC)

With the explosive growth in the scale of artificial intelligence data centers (AIDC), traditional AIDC networks characterized by “data center optical interconnection (DCI) + electrical packet switching (EPS)” are increasingly challenged in terms of power consumption, communication latency, and reliability. To address this issue, photonic technologies have been introduced in recent years to reduce the power consumption and enhance the scalability, flexibility, and reliability of AIDCs. Two types of network architectures—“DCI + EPS + optical circuit switching (OCS)” and “DCI + fast optical switching (FOS)”—that had been studied were reviewed. Combining the practices of leading enterprises and academic institutions, the technical pathways, performance advantages, and issues yet to be studied of these proposals were discussed. Insights were provided to guide the design of future large-scale AIDC networks.