Smallest Integrated Networks for Highest Data Density

数据的指数级增长继续推动世界各地的重要社会变革。从科学模拟到消费电子产品，数据处理不仅让我们开心，更重要的是拯救了生命，影响了经济增长。然而，世界上许多地方的基础设施薄弱，或无法负担现代计算系统的高昂费用。事实上，为了满足对数据处理和存储的高需求，具有数千个处理器的复杂系统通过电气开关并行互连工作，固有地限制了它们在性能方面的长期可扩展性。随着光子集成的最新进展，电互连可以用光学技术代替。该计划解决了光子学的系统集成，以实现高数据密度。预期的研究成果将导致实际的可扩展性与现代计算机系统的性能增强。此外，随着性能的提高而出现的价格下降使得这些现代计算系统更容易被世界各地使用，包括加拿大的偏远地区，在这些地区，能源不容易用于处理所需的大量数据，例如采矿业或支持北方社区。

The exponential increase in data continues to force important societal changes across the world. From scientific simulations to consumer electronics, data processing has entertained us, but more importantly saved lives and influenced economical growth. However, many parts of the world have weak infrastructures, or are unable to afford the high cost of modern computing systems. Indeed, to meet the high demand for data processing and storage, complex systems with thousands of processors are working in parallel interconnected through electrical switches, inherently limiting their long term scalability in terms of performance. With recent advancements in photonic integration, the electrical interconnectivity can be replaced with optical technologies. The proposed program addresses the system integration of photonics towards high data density. The expected research outcome will lead to practical scalability with performance enhancement in modern computer systems. Furthermore, price deflation which comes with the increase in performance makes these modern computing systems more accessible to all parts of the world, including remote areas of the Canadian landscape where energy is not easily available to process large amount of data required such as in the mining industry or in supporting the northern communities.