Jeremy Hsu at New Scientist:
An optical fibre technology can help chips communicate with each other at the speed of light, enabling them to transmit 80 times as much information as they could using traditional electrical connections. That could significantly speed up the training times required for large artificial intelligence models – from months to weeks – while also reducing the energy and emissions costs for data centres.
Most advanced computer chips still communicate using electrical signals carried over copper wires. But as the tech industry races to train large language models and other complex AI systems – a process that requires networks of AI superchips to transfer huge amounts of data – companies are eager to link chips using the light-speed communication of fibre optics.
This technology isn’t new: the internet already relies on undersea fibre-optic cables stretching thousands of kilometres between continents. In order to transmit data between fingernail-size chips, however, companies must connect as many hair-thin optical fibres as possible to the edge of each chip.
More here.
Enjoying the content on 3QD? Help keep us going by donating now.