Connect with us

Technology

IBM Brings the Speed of Light to the Generative AI Era with Optics Breakthrough

Published

1 year ago

on

New co-packaged optics innovation could replace electrical interconnects in data centers to offer significant improvements in speed and energy efficiency for AI and other computing applications

YORKTOWN HEIGHTS, N.Y., Dec. 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — IBM (NYSE: IBM) has unveiled breakthrough research in optics technology that could dramatically improve how data centers train and run generative AI models. Researchers have pioneered a new process for co-packaged optics (CPO), the next generation of optics technology, to enable connectivity within data centers at the speed of light through optics to complement existing short reach electrical wires. By designing and assembling the first publicly announced successful polymer optical waveguide (PWG) to power this technology, IBM researchers have shown how CPO will redefine the way the computing industry transmits high-bandwidth data between chips, circuit boards, and servers.

Today, fiber optic technology carries data at high speeds across long distances, managing nearly all the world’s commerce and communications traffic with light instead of electricity. Although data centers use fiber optics for their external communications networks, racks in data centers still predominantly run communications on copper-based electrical wires. These wires connect GPU accelerators that may spend more than half of their time idle, waiting for data from other devices in a large, distributed training process which can incur significant expense and energy.

IBM researchers have demonstrated a way to bring optics’ speed and capacity inside data centers. In a technical paper, IBM introduces a new CPO prototype module that can enable high-speed optical connectivity. This technology could significantly increase the bandwidth of data center communications, minimizing GPU downtime while drastically accelerating AI processing. This research innovation, as described, would enable:  

Lower costs for scaling generative AI through a more than 5x power reduction in energy consumption compared to mid-range electrical interconnects1, while extending the length of data center interconnect cables from one to hundreds of meters.Faster AI model training, enabling developers to train a Large Language Model (LLM) up to five times faster with CPO than with conventional electrical wiring. CPO could reduce the time it takes to train a standard LLM from three months to three weeks, with performance gains increasing by using larger models and more GPUs.2Dramatically increased energy efficiency for data centers, saving the energy equivalent of 5,000 U.S. homes’ annual power consumption per AI model trained.3

“As generative AI demands more energy and processing power, the data center must evolve – and co-packaged optics can make these data centers future-proof,” said Dario Gil, SVP and Director of Research at IBM. “With this breakthrough, tomorrow’s chips will communicate much like how fiber optics cables carry data in and out of data centers, ushering in a new era of faster, more sustainable communications that can handle the AI workloads of the future.”

Eighty times faster bandwidth than today’s chip-to-chip communication
In recent years, advances in chip technology have densely packed transistors onto a chip; IBM’s 2 nanometer node chip technology can contain more than 50 billion transistors. CPO technology aims to scale the interconnection density between accelerators by enabling chipmakers to add optical pathways connecting chips on an electronic module beyond the limits of today’s electrical pathways. IBM’s paper outlines how these new high bandwidth density optical structures, coupled with transmitting multiple wavelengths per optical channel, have the potential to boost bandwidth between chips as much as 80 times compared to electrical connections.

IBM’s innovation, as described, would enable chipmakers to add six times as many optical fibers at the edge of a silicon photonics chip, called “beachfront density,” compared to the current state-of-the-art CPO technology. Each fiber, about three times the width of a human hair, could span centimeters to hundreds of meters in length and transmit terabits of data per second. The IBM team assembled a high-density PWG at 50 micrometer pitch optical channels, adiabatically coupled to silicon photonics waveguides, using standard assembly packaging processes.

The paper additionally indicates that these CPO modules with PWG at 50 micrometer pitch are the first to pass all stress tests required for manufacturing. Components are subjected to high-humidity environments and temperatures ranging from -40°C to 125°C, as well as mechanical durability testing to confirm that optical interconnects can bend without breaking or losing data. Moreover, researchers have demonstrated PWG technology to an 18-micrometer pitch. Stacking four PWGs would allow for up to 128 channels for connectivity at that pitch.

IBM’s continued leadership in semiconductor R&D
CPO technology enables a new pathway to meet AI’s increasing performance demands, with the potential to replace off-module communications from electrical to optical. It continues IBM’s history of leadership in semiconductor innovation, which also includes the first 2 nm node chip technology, the first implementation of 7 nm and 5 nm process technologies, Nanosheet transistors, vertical transistors (VTFET), single cell DRAM, and chemically amplified photoresists.

Researchers completed design, modeling, and simulation work for CPO in Albany, New York, which the U.S. Department of Commerce recently selected as the home of America’s first National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC), the NSTC EUV Accelerator. Researchers assembled prototypes and tested modules at IBM’s facility in Bromont, Quebec, one of North America’s largest chip assembly and test sites. Part of the Northeast Semiconductor Corridor between the United States and Canada, IBM’s Bromont fab has led the world in chip packaging for decades. 

About IBM
IBM is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. More than 4,000 government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM’s hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM’s breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and consulting deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM’s long-standing commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service. Visit www.ibm.com for more information.

Media Contacts:

Bethany Hill McCarthy
IBM Research
bethany@ibm.com 

Willa Hahn
IBM Research
willa.hahn@ibm.com

1

A reduction from five to less than one picojoule per bit.

2

Figures based on training a 70 billion parameter LLM using industry-standard GPUs and interconnects.

3

Figures based on training a large LLM (such as GPT-4) using industry-standard GPUs and interconnects.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ibm-brings-the-speed-of-light-to-the-generative-ai-era-with-optics-breakthrough-302327699.html

SOURCE IBM

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Technology

InfoComm Asia Returns to Bangkok as the Region’s Pro AV Super Connector Event from 15-17 July 2026

Published

2 minutes ago

on

April 29, 2026

By

Exclusive 15th May Sneak Peek: Smart Workplace & Education Environments Event to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

BANGKOK, April 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Now in its 6th edition, InfoComm Asia 2026 returns to Bangkok, Thailand, 15-17 July at Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC). As the region’s Professional Audiovisual (Pro AV) industry super connector event, InfoComm Asia brings together exhibition, conference, and high-level networking into one powerful platform for the Pro AV and technology solutions ecosystem.

Designed as the central meeting point for solution providers, manufacturers, system integrators, consultants, and Pro AV and technology end users, InfoComm Asia enables meaningful connections across the entire value chain while providing an immersive stage to showcase fully integrated, real-world Pro AV applications.

Over 200 global brands are expected to participate in this year’s event, with prominent audio giants such as Yamaha, Soundking, SHURE, Audio Technica and leading visual, display and lighting brands including COLORLIGHT, LUMENS, VITEC, Fabulux, to networking and Pro AV integration stalwarts NETGEAR, Extron, AVCIT, and many more. New to join this year include Hemona (N-Labs) from India, Transtech from China, Yo-Tronics Technology, and Aimiciot Electronics, to name a few.  

InfoComm Asia also serves as the annual flagship gathering for AVIXA–the global Audiovisual and Integrated Experience Association–chapters in Asia. The event hosts additional comprehensive AVIXA-led activities, including industry presentations, roundtables, AVIXA Xchange Live, experiential technology tours, networking sessions, mixers, and fireside chats. Combined with InfoComm Asia’s main stage summit conference hosting renowned Pro AV innovators and experts, networking events, and experiential activities, the InfoComm Asia experience fosters professional development, thought leadership, and peer-to-peer engagement, positioning it as the region’s most influential knowledge and relationship-building platform for Pro AV professionals.

Past testimonials and visitors to InfoComm Asia note:

“InfoComm Asia is the place to be! If you are in the AV industry, you must be here, and you cannot afford to miss it. We met with many consultants and integrators who help guide their end-user customers to make the right decisions on the choice of products, and lots of end-user customers who came with ready budgets.” 

Anand Hariharan, Director, Solutions Engineer from Cisco

“We see a good influx of visitors at InfoComm Asia. We met with buyers from the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, and even those from China. We also attended to customers from Australia, South Korea and about ten times more customers from Japan.” 

Marthesh Nagendra, Senior Director, Enterprise APAC from Netgear

“InfoComm Asia has a unique regional flavor you don’t get elsewhere. It’s a great place to reconnect with familiar faces and explore what’s ahead for the Pro AV industry.”

Mitera Tsuyoshi, Director, Cerevo Inc.

“We came to check new products and new technologies that we can incorporate to our system and bring back to our projects and distribution in the Philippines. The technology we see here is advanced, such as the ultra-thin LED screens that can be installed on glass. That’s one of the many advanced technologies we are looking for at the show.”

Jeffrey Beloro, AV Technical Manager from AV Beyond Innovations, The Philippines

“This is a great place to see what the new technologies are and learn about them. I was pleasantly surprised by how expansive and well-represented the show was. It’s a fantastic platform to explore the latest AV technologies relevant to our projects in the region.”

Bruce Crompton, Director, Crompton Manufacturing Consultants Vietnam

“As creative technologists, we rely on both our artistic instincts and technology. Things are evolving at bullet-train speed — that’s why events like InfoComm Asia are so important. They help us keep up, connect, and stay ahead.”

Linda Lim, CEO & Co-Founder, Studio X Beyond Thailand

“I came here for better ideas and to source for devices. I was lucky to find at least seven matching products, and that has already exceeded my expectations.”

Tuan Khoi Nguyen, Founder and Director of AK Technologies, Vietnam

Regional Momentum: Sneak Peek in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Pro AV professionals can get a sneak peek of what is to come by attending the 15th May 2026 InfoComm Asia Pro AV Connect: Malaysia event. This roadshow themed “Rearchitecting Smart Workplace and Education Environments for the Next Decade” will present keynotes on Designing Intelligent Workplace and Learning Ecosystems, From Classrooms to Campuses and Offices: Converged Platforms in Action, and a panel discussion on AI, Data, and the Future of Collaboration and Learning Experiences. Participating Pro AV market leaders include Crestron.

Event Date: Friday, 15 May 2026

Time: 1:30pm – 5:30pm

Venue: Ballroom A, Level 2, Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral  

Address: 5, Jalan Stesen Sentral, Kuala Lumpur Sentral, 50470, Kuala Lumpur

Complimentary Registration Details

By uniting innovation, collaboration, and strategic business development, InfoComm Asia empowers participants to demonstrate impact, discover opportunities, and accelerate growth across the region’s diverse industries.

Online pre-registration is now open via the InfoComm Asia’s Online Registration System

Remaining stand and sponsorship opportunities are available via our opportunities page

Inquiry and application to our invited guest program can be found here

About InfoCommAsia
InfoCommAsia Pte Ltd. extends its influence through three marquee shows: InfoComm Asia; InfoComm China, Beijing; and InfoComm India. Each show features an exhibition that showcases the world’s most cutting-edge and in-demand professional audiovisual and integrated experience technology solutions and a summit that presents learning opportunities. The shows bring together professional audiovisual industry players and top-level decision-makers from across different markets to tap into the vast potential presented by pro AV solutions.

For more information, visit:

infocomm-asia.com | infocomm-china.com | infocomm-india.com 

Global Media Enquiries:

Angie Eng
Director, Marketing, InfoCommAsia Pte Ltd
T: +65 8163 2109
E: media@infocommasia.com; angieeng@infocommasia.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/infocomm-asia-returns-to-bangkok-as-the-regions-pro-av-super-connector-event-from-15-17-july-2026-302756523.html

SOURCE InfoComm Asia

Continue Reading

Technology

Bonree Retains No.1 Position in China’s APMO Market Share, IDC Reports

Published

2 minutes ago

on

April 29, 2026

By

HONG KONG, SINGAPORE and BEIJING, April 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Recently, International Data Corporation (IDC) released its China IT Intelligent Operations Software Market Tracking Report, H2 2025 (the “Report”). According to the report, Bonree Data Technology Co., Ltd. (stock code: 688229) ranked first in China’s Application Performance Management and Observability (APMO) market, with a 17.6% market share in the second half of 2025. For the full year, the company achieved a 19.8% market share, further strengthening its position in the market. This performance reflects strong market recognition of Bonree’s product capabilities, technological innovation, and service quality, as well as sustained demand for intelligent observability and operations solutions across industries. It also underscores the company’s long-term commitment to the observability and intelligent operations space, built over more than 18 years of continuous innovation and customer-focused development.

As the first publicly listed company in China’s Application Performance Management (APM) and observability market, Bonree is advancing its globalisation strategy with established operations in Hong Kong SAR, Singapore, and Malaysia. The company has already secured multi-million deals across Hong Kong SAR and Malaysia. Bonree complies with internationally recognised standards, including SOC 2 Type II and CMMI Level 5. Its self-developed LLM-powered observability platform has been selected for Huawei Cloud’s international baseline solution library, reflecting recognition from global cloud ecosystems and supporting its expansion with a “global deployment, local compliance” approach.

Bonree serves over 1,000 leading clients worldwide with system monitoring, performance optimisation, and intelligent operations solutions. Leveraging proprietary unsupervised knowledge graph root cause analysis technology and AI-driven intelligent analytics, Bonree delivers plug-and-play monitoring and fully managed adaptive alerting systems that detect anomalies quickly and accurately with minimal noise. Bonree holds 56 authorised invention patents and 135 software copyrights, and reports an NPS of 79 and a client satisfaction rate of 95%, reflecting strong customer trust across global markets. With these core strengths, Bonree continues to lead in global fintech and digital operations, helping clients ensure business continuity and digital transformation while striving to become a leading global player in APM and observability.

CONTACT: Xiaohan Yao, yaoxiaohan@bonree.com, +8618210189324

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/bonree-retains-no1-position-in-chinas-apmo-market-share-idc-reports-302756538.html

SOURCE Bonree Data Technology Co., Ltd.

Continue Reading

Technology

KuCoin and Lightnet Explore Collaboration to Advance Digital Asset and Payment Infrastructure Across Southeast Asia

Published

2 minutes ago

on

April 29, 2026

By

PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands, April 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — KuCoin, a leading global crypto platform built on trust, announced it is exploring potential collaboration with Southeast Asia-based fintech company Lightnet. By combining KuCoin’s global digital asset trading ecosystem with Lightnet’s cross-border payment infrastructure and fintech expertise, the two parties aim to explore long-term opportunities in the digital asset space across Southeast Asia.

The collaboration is dedicated to exploring potential synergies in the region. It is designed to integrate both parties’ capabilities to establish a forward-looking ecosystem for digital financial services, and to enhance digital asset infrastructure development across the region. It also reflects a shared vision to support the broader adoption of blockchain-based solutions in emerging markets.

Lightnet is a fintech company operating a licensed global settlement network and global payment infrastructure, leveraging blockchain technology to improve the efficiency and transparency of cross-border transactions.

BC Wong, CEO of KuCoin, commented:

“Southeast Asia represents one of the most dynamic regions for digital financial innovation. Through our collaboration with Lightnet, we aim to combine our respective strengths in digital asset trading and cross-border payments to explore more efficient and sustainable financial solutions. This partnership reflects KuCoin’s continued commitment to advancing trusted and compliant infrastructure on a global scale.”

Tridbodi Arunanondchai, Group CEO, Lightnet, added:

“We see strong synergies between Lightnet’s cross-border payment infrastructure and KuCoin’s global ecosystem. This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to expanding access to efficient financial solutions across Southeast Asia. We look forward to exploring opportunities together within appropriate regulatory frameworks.”

Both parties stated that they will continue to explore collaboration opportunities within appropriate regulatory frameworks, contributing to the development of a more accessible, efficient, and inclusive digital financial ecosystem in the regions.

About KuCoin

Founded in 2017, KuCoin is a leading global crypto platform built on trust, serving over 40 million users across 200+ countries and regions. Known for its reliability and user-first approach, the platform combines advanced technology, deep liquidity, and strong security safeguards to deliver a seamless trading experience. KuCoin provides access to 1,500+ digital assets through a broad product suite and remains committed to building transparent, compliant, and user-centric digital asset infrastructure for the future of finance, backed by SOC 2 Type II, ISO/IEC 27001:2022, and ISO/IEC 27701:2019 Certifications. In recent years, we have built a strong global compliance foundation, marked by key milestones including AUSTRAC registration in Australia, a MiCA license in Europe, and regulatory progress in other markets.

Learn more at www.kucoin.com.

About Lightnet

Lightnet is a Southeast Asia-based fintech company operating under a multi-jurisdiction regulatory framework. It has operations across over 150 countries with deep local partnerships throughout Asia and expanding globally. Lightnet provides fast cross-border settlement, on/off ramps and liquidity services for both fiats and digital assets to banks, fintechs and web 3 businesses.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kucoin-and-lightnet-explore-collaboration-to-advance-digital-asset-and-payment-infrastructure-across-southeast-asia-302755541.html

SOURCE KuCoin

Continue Reading

Trending