Abstract

Actual data centers largely use optical fiber cables to connect their racks and now their boards. However, electrical communications are used once data arrive on boards, leading to a bottleneck limiting the overall server performance. A dream would be to go up to the processors / memories by fully optical transmissions. This presentation will review how far we are from this dream and what are the issues that must be considered. It will also present some recent implementation results showing some advancements in the field.

Biography

Fabien Clermidy obtained his Ph.D in microelectronic from INPG, Grenoble in 1999 and his supervisor degree in 2011. Fabien joined LETI in 2002 and was a pioneer in designing Network-on-Chip based multi-core.

From 2007 to 2010, he was the leader of the second generation of Network-on-Chip based multicore dedicated to 4G communications. From 2010 to 2012, his team elaborated one of the first 3D multi-core prototypes embedding a WIDE-IO DRAM memory called WIOMING which was followed by a 3D Network-on-Chip demonstrator. In the same time, Fabien launches activities on emerging memories, OXRAM, CBRAM and then PCRAM.

From August 2012 to September 2016, Fabien was managing the digital circuit laboratory in the Design Division implied in the development of IoT devices and new multi-core architectures using emerging technologies such as 3D TSV, 3D monolithic integration and emerging memories.

Fabien Clermidy is now head of the Wireless Communication Department in the System Division.

Fabien has published 2 books, more than 80 journal and conferences papers and is author or co-author of 15 patents.