Enabling Technologies to Achieve Beyond 500 Gbps Optical Intra-Connects Based on WDM Visible Light Laser Communication

The rapid development of emerging technologies has led to a significant increase in data traffic, posing challenges for data centers in terms of storing, transmitting, and processing large volumes of information. Intra- and inter-datacenter connections with high bandwidth, low latency, high reliability, and high energy efficiency are in great demand. Traditional electrical communication is becoming increasingly inadequate, while optical communication has emerged as promising solutions. Visible light laser communication (VLLC) utilizes the spectrum ranging from 380 nm to 700 nm and has the advantages of offering high transmission rates, cost-effectiveness, and simple system structures. In this paper, enabling technologies including high-bandwidth laser diodes, advanced modulation formats, and artificial intelligence (AI)-based equalization schemes are introduced. A compact 50-channel VLLC interconnect system has been developed, achieving ultra-high-speed short-range VLLC transmission with a record data rate of 534.51 Gbps, showcasing the potential of VLLC as a high-capacity and cost-effective optical intra-data center connection solution.

I. Introduction

In recent years, the rapid development of new services, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and extended reality (XR), has led to an exponential increase in data traffic within communication networks [1], [2], [3]. There are significant challenges in storing, transmitting, and processing massive amounts of data. This has resulted in a significant increase in data center traffic, thereby intensifying the demand for higher data rates. Individual small-scale data centers can no longer fulfill the diverse requirements of contemporary businesses, making the intra-connection of massive components in the data center and interconnection of multiple data centers crucial to tackle these challenges.