Computing systems are critically challenged to meet the performance demands of applications particularly driven by the explosive growth in data analytics. Data movement, dominated by energy costs and limited ‘chip-escape’ bandwidth densities, is a key physical layer roadblock to these systems’ scalability. Integrated silicon photonics with deeply embedded optical connectivity is on the cusp of enabling revolutionary data movement and extreme performance capabilities. Beyond alleviating the bandwidth/energy bottlenecks, embedded photonics can enable new disaggregated architectures that leverage the distance independence of optical transmission. We will discuss how the envisioned modular system interconnected by a unified photonic fabric can be flexibly composed to create custom architectures tailored for specific applications.

Keren Bergman is the Charles Batchelor Professor of Electrical Engineering at Columbia University where she also serves as the Faculty Director of the Columbia Nano Initiative. Prof. Bergman received the B.S. from Bucknell University in 1988, and the M.S. in 1991 and Ph.D. in 1994 from M.I.T. all in Electrical Engineering. At Columbia, Bergman leads the Lightwave Research Laboratory encompassing multiple cross-disciplinary programs at the intersection of computing and photonics. Bergman serves on the Leadership Council of the American Institute of Manufacturing (AIM) Photonics leading projects that support the institute’s silicon photonics manufacturing capabilities and Datacom applications. She is a Fellow of the Optical Society of America (OSA) and IEEE.