Light Peak 10Gps optical interconnect

[valis]

Apple dictated Light Peak creation to Intel, could begin migration from other standards as early as 2010

Intel's Light Peak an Apple-created technology?

Intel unveils Light Peak 10Gbps optical interconnect for mobile devices


interesting...?

[siriusbliss]

yeah, there has been a short trend toward adopting HDMI for the next 'universal' interface, and Intel was holding onto USB3, but I THINK that Intel acquired a fiber-chip company, and Apple probably caught wind of it, and rumor is that they want to license it as the next 'universal' link.

Whatever happens, USB has already run it's course, and Firewire has issues as well, so the industry is looking for the next big thing.

In parallel there is wireless HDMI (UWB) developments going on where they are now sending/receive full-bandwidth HD video AND surround sound up to 40 feet....

Good times...

Greg

[valis]

My understanding (which in no way contradicts anything you've said) is that Intel has been developing this interconnect for 2-3 years now, which may very well coincide with them having purchased another company. There were rumors about 2 years ago then it went away, now of course Apple is doing the usual and positioning themselves so that if it does become a standard their users will say "Apple's standard"...marketing to the technorati. Intel's doing their bit to encourage that by showcasing the demo for it using OSX at IDF

[siriusbliss]

Intel is notorious (and I've personally experienced this) for acquiring companies in order to slow down industry adoption of 'standards' so that Intel can 'catch up'. Their other tactic is to slow down adoption via rewriting standards and holding up issues in standards meetings so that they can catch up.

No.1 thing to is that Intel is a CPU COMPANY. Every other technology (including wireless) that they get involved in (they couldn't design themselves out of a brown paper bag), are ALL designed to position Intel to sell more CPUs.

Greg

[valis]

I agree, although at some point in the next decade I expect Intel will stop doing most of their own fabbing (at least for silicon), assuming of course that there isn't anything for them to pursue once we start nearing the alleged 2-3nm limits. This means that they'll have to diversify or suffer being in an industry no different than pork bellies and such. In fact a lot of the Atom stuff is moving to TSMC, which heralds the beginning of Intel's moving in the direction that AMD has already gone.

[siriusbliss]

Well, AFAIK Inhel has already built newer foundries in Vietnam, Malaysia, and are retooling the plant in Dublin area. Although IIRC this may be older news, and now that the economy has shifted everything around, this may have changed also.

I think their 'wireless' (in quotes) developments are still done out of Isreal and Northern California, although I see ALL of Intel leaving Cali. over the next few years and migrating corporate center to either Hillsboro. OR or Scottsdale, AZ.

It's insane how much money they waste (a lot on worthless engineers I might add).

Greg

[valis]

I was thinking more like a decade from how, I'm sure Intel will make good use of any foundries it has at its disposal currently. It's just that once we start reaching the end of the size reductions in the silicon-based process Intel's need for in-house foundries will be lessened. Ie, it seems to me that the need to keep R&D cycles in-house and tightly integrated with manufacturing & engineering will go away as everyone is on a more level playing field in terms of getting to the 'next smaller size'. Again that's assuming there isn't some magical 'next thing' to take us beyond 2-3nm (electron leakage limits due to the wavelength/width of the electron channels.)

I agree with you about Intel--and many big companies--using the ability to buy up competition (or slow down the industry or shutter them out completely) to stay on top. Part of the 'dog eat dog' paradigm of capitalism unfortunately, though one has to wonder how long even that will remain (unless 99% of the world really is ok with being the underlings for a few megacorps based out of Dubai & UAE.) Not that I foresee any major changes on that front in the next few decades (unfort.)...