Nvidia releases silicon photonic network switch, using TSMC COUPE packaging technology
TechNews
March 19, 2025
Author Lin Yurou
March 19, 2025
Author Lin Yurou
NVIDIA announced the Spectrum-X Photonics and Quantum-X Photonics network switch platforms at GTC 2025, using silicon photonics technology. The new platform increases data transfer speeds to 1.6 Tb/s per port, with a total transfer capacity of 400 Tb/s, enabling millions of GPUs to work together seamlessly. NVIDIA says the new switches offer higher bandwidth, lower power losses, and higher reliability compared to traditional networking solutions.
Spectrum-X Photonics Ethernet and Quantum-X Photonics InfiniBand platforms support 1.6 Tb/s per port, with total bandwidth increasing to 400 Tb/s through various port configurations. NVIDIA's Spectrum-X Photonics switches are available in a variety of configurations, including 128 800 Gb/s ports or 512 200 Gb/s ports, for a total bandwidth of 100 Tb/s. Higher-end versions support 512 800 Gb/s ports or 2,048 200 Gb/s ports, for a total throughput of 400 Tb/s.
The Quantum-X Photonics series uses 144 800 Gb/s InfiniBand ports and achieves efficient data transmission through 200 Gb/s SerDes technology. Compared to previous-generation network solutions, Quantum-X doubles performance and increases AI computing scalability fivefold, enabling it to handle high-intensity workloads and support the construction of larger AI clusters.
The Quantum-X InfiniBand switch is equipped with a liquid cooling system to ensure that the silicon photonic chips built into it do not overheat while operating efficiently. NVIDIA said the new network platform can achieve 3.5 times higher energy efficiency, 10 times higher network reliability, and 63 times stronger signal integrity, effectively reducing power consumption and improving long-term operating performance. Additionally, deployment is 1.3 times faster, making these switches a more efficient solution for hyperscale AI data centers.
NVIDIA's Spectrum-X Photonics Ethernet and Quantum-X Photonics InfiniBand platforms use TSMC's COUPE silicon photonics platform, using TSMC's SoIC-X packaging technology to integrate 65nm electronic integrated circuits (EICs) with photonic integrated circuits (PICs).
In addition, NVIDIA has also established a silicon photonics ecosystem with Taiwanese manufacturers such as Foxconn, Siliconware Precision Industries, and Broway, as well as American, Chinese, and Japanese manufacturers such as Coherent, Corning, Lumentum, SENKO, Sumitomo Electric Industries, and Tianfu Communication, to create a stable supply chain and further consolidate its advantages in the field of proprietary hardware.
NVIDIA expects the Quantum-X InfiniBand switch to be available in late 2025, and the Spectrum-X Photonics Ethernet switch to be available in 2026.
Related link: https://technews.tw/2025/03/19/nvidia-new-silicon-photonics-spectrum-x-photonics-quantum-x-photonics/
Image credit: NVIDIA
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