Photonics may be ready to step out of the shadows. How? Mark your calendars for October 16th, 2024, as the Photonics Track at the OCP Global Summit is set to take place from 8:00 AM to 11:30 AM PST in Room 220C. This year's track is poised to be a blockbuster session, focusing on unveiling the future of interconnection through innovative advancements in photonics technology for Open Systems for AI. With a lineup of industry visionaries and innovators, attendees can anticipate a deep dive into the technologies that will unlock performance bottlenecks in Open Systems for AI cluster interconnections. This track has been exciting to put together and the OCP Foundation and Community can’t wait to share it, and what follows is a quick overview for each session.
Welcome & Kickoff
Speaker: Andy Bechtolsheim
The track will begin with a kickoff by Andy Bechtolsheim, co-founder of Sun Microsystems, Granite Systems, Kaelia and Arista Networks- a luminary in the tech industry. He will set the tone for the event by sharing a bit of vision and discussing the pivotal role photonics is poised to play in shaping the future of interconnection in open accelerated systems for AI.
AI Networking Market Update
Speaker: Sameh Boujelbene
Dell’Oro’s Sameh Boujelbene will present insightful analysis of the current AI interconnect/networking market. This session will explore emerging trends, market dynamics, and the challenges and opportunities driving innovation in data transmission for AI applications.
AI at Scale: Optical Connectivity Opportunity & Impact
Speaker: Drew Alduino
Drew Alduino of Meta will dig into how optical connectivity is enabling AI to scale like never before. Attendees will learn about the opportunities that high-speed optical networks present for AI workloads and the transformative impact on data centers and cloud infrastructures.
Standards Update: Reducing Optical Power Consumption
Speakers: Karl-Heinz Muth and Nathan Tracy
In this session, Karl-Heinz Muth of Broadcom and the LPO-MSA and Nathan Tracy from TE and OIF will discuss the latest status on emerging standards and innovations aimed at reducing power consumption in optical networks. Their insights will highlight the importance of energy-efficient designs in the evolution of data transmission technologies.
Optical Compute Interconnect: Co-packaged Optics for AI and Compute Infrastructure
Speaker: Christian Urricariet
Christian Urricariet from Intel will explore the integration of co-packaged optics within AI and compute infrastructures. This presentation will showcase how optical compute interconnects are revolutionizing open data center architectures, offering unprecedented bandwidth and energy efficiency.
High-Speed and Low Power Modulation with TFLN
Speaker: Mian Zhang
Mian Zhang of Hyperlight will introduce some exciting new directions with thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) technology and its role in advancing photonics for open systems. The session will focus on high performance, high-speed, low-power optical modulation, a key factor in next-generation photonic devices.
Break
A necessary moment to network with peers and reflect on the morning's insights.
AI/ML Clusters Enabled by a 51.2 Tbps CPO Switch
Speakers: Rajiv Pancholy and Pengfei Huo
Rajiv Pancholy of Broadcom and Pengfei Huo of Bytedance are set to present exciting progress on a new 51.2 Tbps co-packaged optics (CPO) switch. They will discuss how this innovation empowers AI and machine learning clusters with massive bandwidth, enabling faster data processing and transmission.
Building a 224G Channel Using Co-Packaged Copper and Standard OSFP Connector and Cable, and Its Scalability to 448G
Speaker: Andrew Kim
Andrew Kim from Luxshare will peer into the world of development of ultra-high-speed channels using co-packaged copper technologies. This session will highlight how utilizing standard OSFP connectors and cables can scale data transmission rates to 448G, meeting future AI cluster performance demands.
Implementing PCIe Connectivity with Optics
Speakers: Sam Kocsis and Chris Cole
Sam Kocsis from Amphenol and Chris Cole of II-VI Incorporated will examine optical solutions in PCIe connectivity. Their presentation will cover how integrating optics into standard interfaces can significantly enhance data transmission speeds and reduce latency in computing systems.
Groundbreaking Interconnect Technology for AI and Hyperscale Data Centers
Speaker: Dave Welch
Dave Welch of AttoTude will explore completely different photonic interconnect ideas, tailored for AI and hyperscale data centers. Attendees will learn about innovations leading to scaling single lane speeds up to 448Gb/s and beyond, which promise to revolutionize data transmission in open AI clusters, offering improved efficiency, speed, and scalability for large-scale computing environments.
Energy-Efficient High Bandwidth Optical Interconnect Solutions for GAI
Speaker: Rangchen Yu
Rangchen Yu of Innolight Technology is queued up to discuss cutting-edge optical interconnect solutions designed for General Artificial Intelligence workloads on Open Systems for AI. The focus will be on achieving high-bandwidth data transmission while maintaining energy efficiency, addressing the critical balance for sustainable open AI systems development.
Panel Discussion: What is the Right Path Forward for the Industry?
Moderator: Vlad Kozlov
Panelists: Andy Bechtolsheim, Nathan Tracy, Loi Nguyen, Chris Cole, and Rajiv Pancholy
This is a dynamic panel featuring industry leaders. Moderated by Vlad Kozlov of Light Counting, the panel will explore strategic directions and technological pathways and perhaps some unexpected ideas that will shape the future of data transmission and the photonics industry at large.
Conclusion
As you can see from the lineup, this track is action packed and strives to tackle head on the hard problems that must be solved to realize OCP’s Open Systems for AI. With the line up of industry leaders and focus on engineering topics, it promises to be an illuminating experience for professionals and enthusiasts alike. Taking place on October 16th, 2024, from 8:00 AM to 11:30 AM PST in Room 220C, the panels and presentations are all set to provide valuable insights into the technologies and innovations driving the next wave of photonics. Whether you're aiming to stay ahead of industry trends or seeking inspiration from the field's leading minds, this event is not to be missed.
The complete OCP Global Summit schedule can be found here and the Photonics Track schedule can be found here.
To follow up on these sessions and continue the conversations and momentum, reach out to the OCP Future Technologies’ Short Reach for Optical Interconnects workstream where the future of short reach photonics for Open Systems for AI are being defined.
Join us at the 2024 OCP Global Summit to explore how photonics is driving the next wave of data center and AI networking transformations!