IBM, Agilent to shrink optics for computers

Sept. 11, 2003 — IBM and Agilent Technologies Inc. are teaming up to develop optical transmission technology small enough to enable rapid connections within computers, according to a news release.

The three-year, $30 million contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency calls for the companies to produce optical interconnects that transmit data from chip to chip using lightwaves over fiber optics rather than electrical signals over copper. Optical systems, currently used for communications between systems, are expected to offer higher speeds and lower power.

The project is designed to meet the growing needs of bandwidth inside servers, which has been increasing by roughly 10 times every four years because of increasing chip speeds and the number of processors per system, the release said.

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