Optical interconnects for high-performance computing

High-performance computing systems are of steadily growing interest to provide new levels of computational capability for an increasing range of applications. The growing use of and dependence on optical interconnects to meet these system's scaling bandwidth demands has given rise to computercom as a distinct market segment, alongside the traditional datacom and telecom markets. This paper discusses the trends, requirements, tradeoffs, and potential technologies for this market. © 2006 IEEE.