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Comparison between electrical and free space optical interconnects for fine grain processor arrays based on
Applied Optics
|June 18, 2010
Summary
Optically interconnected processor arrays offer superior interconnect density compared to electronic arrays. This research shows optical circuits have lower area growth rates, outperforming traditional Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) circuits.
Area of Science:
- Computer Engineering
- Optical Computing
- Integrated Circuit Design
Background:
- Conventional processor arrays rely on electronic interconnects, facing limitations in density and scalability.
- Assessing the scalability of processor arrays requires analyzing their area growth rate with increasing processing elements.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the interconnect density capabilities of optically interconnected processor arrays versus fully electronic ones.
- To introduce a complexity model for calculating array area growth rate as a function of processing elements.
Main Methods:
- Developed a complexity model to determine the asymptotic area growth rate of processor arrays.
- Compared lower bounds for electrically interconnected arrays with upper bounds for free-space optically interconnected circuits using computer-generated holograms.
Main Results:
- Optically interconnected circuits demonstrate lower area growth rates than electrically interconnected ones.
- For networks like hypercube and crossbar, optical interconnects achieve area growth rates below VLSI lower bounds.
Conclusions:
- Free-space optical interconnects offer a scalable solution for high-performance computing architectures.
- Optical interconnects provide a significant advantage in interconnect density and area efficiency for complex processor arrays.
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