I've written frequently on the HP Labs site about the problems of rising costs and energy consumption facing computer makers as they try to squeeze more performance out of the existing IT infrastructure.
One possible solution would be to replace the copper connections among blades, boards and chips with light. Why replace copper? It's not energy-efficient, is increasingly scare and expensive, and mining it can create environmental problems.
By contrast, photonic interconnects can improve performance, solve bandwidth problems, and also operate at much lower power than conventional electrical switches.
HP recently hosted its first annual Photonic Interconnect Forum to combine forces with scientists from universities and businesses to bring this technology to market, possibly even by next year. Potential partners include Intel, Avago, Lightwire and Corning.
This work could have tremendous impact, especially on the ongoing problem of IT energy consumption. HP Fellow Terry Morris says that shifting to servers using optical connections could cut power use annually by 40 percent worldwide by 2016 or 2017.
"We can make a substantial and measurable reduction to the amount of power consumed by servers as a result of our work on photonic interconnects," Morris says. "Rarely do you get an opportunity to speed up computers and save energy at the same time."
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend, but there's an excellent article in EE Times. Scott Jordan also has posted an interesting blog, with a particular emphasis on the importance of collaboration.
This is a key point for two reasons: As HP Labs Director Prith Banerjee says, "Not all the smart people work at HP." Why not partner with the best?
But for me, there's an even stronger argument for teamwork. If technology is going to benefit society - and isn't that what we should be doing? The only way we're all going to be successful is to work together. Goodness knows there are enough problems to solve.
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