All-To-All Interconnection With Wavelength Routing Devices

Abstract

A method that uses wavelength routing devices such as arrayed waveguide grating routers (AWGR) and Echelle grating routers to realize a passive interconnection network with a reduced number of wavelengths to implement all-to-all interconnection.

Full Description

Today's data centers, multi-processor/core based high performance computing systems rely on interconnection of many electronic switches or wires concatenated in multi-stage interconnection topologies with limited scalability. These electronic switch architectures result in poor performance in throughput, latency, scalability. All-optical switching supports the need for massive concurrency and scalability in parallel computing.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a technique that uses Arrayed Waveguide Grating Routers (AWGRs) and other routing devices to realize a reduced number of wavelengths needed for all-to-all communication among N nodes. The reduction in the number of wavelengths used increases scalability and operability. The methodology provides for a single hop distance between any two nodes providing for low latency communication and supports up to N² simultaneous contention-free connections resulting in a maximum bisection bandwidth of N². The resulting interconnection is passive increasing the power efficiency in comparison to electronic switches. The method addresses the need for increased bandwidth, high-throughput, and low latency data transmission.

Applications

This invention has the following application:

• Telecommunication
  

Features/Benefits

• Reduced amount of required wavelengths
• Flat hierarchy allowing for a single hop between nodes resulting in low latency
• Passive interconnection network allowing for power efficiency
• Increased bandwidth
  

Patent Status