Intel Targets 5g Infrastructure With Latest Silicon Photonics Technology

Intel has unveiled details about the expansion of its Intel 100G transceiver portfolio beyond the data center. At the European Optical Communication Conference in Rome, Intel revealed details about new silicon photonics products that are optimized to accelerate the movement of massive amounts of data, generated by new 5G use cases and Internet of Things applications.

Intel Targets 5G With Its Silicon Photonics Technology

The latest Intel 100G photonics transceivers are optimized to meet the bandwidth requirements of the next-generation communications infrastructure, while withstanding harsh environmental conditions. Hyperscale cloud customers are currently using Intel's 100G silicon photonics transceivers to deliver large-scale, high-performance data center infrastructure. By extending this technology outside of the data center and within 5G infrastructure at the edge of the network, the same benefits can be offered to communications service providers, while supporting the needs of 5G bandwidth.

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In the data-centric era, the ability to move, store, and process data is paramount. Intel's 100G silicon photonics solutions offer tremendous value by offering fast, reliable, and cost-effective connectivity. The industry move towards 5G, coupled with a surge in existing network traffic such as video streaming, is forcing the existing communications infrastructure to support a wide spectrum range including mmWaves, massive MIMO, and network densification.. Intel's latest 100G silicon photonics transceivers meet the bandwidth demands of 5G wireless fronthaul applications.

Intel's built-in laser in the silicon approach makes its silicon photonics transceivers suitable for mass production, and deployment of 5G infrastructure. Samples of Intel's silicon photonics transceivers targeting 5G wireless infrastructure are now available. Production of the new wireless silicon photonics modules is slated to begin in the first quarter of 2019.

Earlier this year, Intel demonstrated its silicon photonics capabilities. Samples of their photonics products are expected to be available next quarter, with volume shipping of modules scheduled for the second half of 2019.

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