Avicena Unveils Revolutionary microLED Transceiver IC for Cutting-Edge Chip-to-Chip Connections

Avicena is revolutionizing chip-to-chip interconnect technology with its LightBundle multi-Tbps solution, which utilizes microLEDs to eliminate bandwidth and proximity limitations while offering impressive energy efficiency.

LightBundle architecture utilizes microLEDs to eliminate bandwidth and proximity limitations
LightBundle interconnects offer lower power and latency, higher bandwidth density, and cost-effectiveness
LightBundle technology is compatible with chiplet interfaces like UCIe, OpenHBI, and BoW

Avicena, a tech company based in Sunnyvale, CA, is stirring up the world of chip-to-chip interconnect technology with its LightBundle multi-Tbps solution. The company is showcasing this technology at the European Conference for Optical Communications (ECOC) 2023 in Glasgow, Scotland. Avicena’s LightBundle architecture, which utilizes microLEDs, is set to revolutionize the performance of processors, memory, and sensors by eliminating bandwidth and proximity limitations while also offering impressive energy efficiency.

According to Chris Pfistner, VP Sales & Marketing of Avicena, the importance of high bandwidth-density, low-power, and low-Latency interconnects between xPUs and HBM modules cannot be overstated as generative AI continues to evolve. Avicena’s LightBundle interconnects have the potential to fundamentally change the way processors connect to each other and to memory. With their inherent parallelism that aligns well with the internal architecture of ICs, these interconnects are poised to enable the next era of AI innovation. They promise multi-terabit per second capacity and sub-pJ/bit efficiency, paving the way for more capable models and a wide range of AI applications that will shape the future.

The surge in demand for compute and memory performance driven by artificial intelligence (AI) applications like ChatGPT has created an urgent need for higher-density, low-power interconnects between GPUs and HBM modules. Currently, GPUs and HBM modules must be co-packaged due to the limited reach of the GPU-memory electrical interconnect. While conventional optical interconnects based on VCSELs or Silicon Photonics offer extended reach, they face challenges in terms of power consumption, bandwidth density, latency, and cost. Avicena’s microLED-based LightBundle interconnects, on the other hand, offer lower power and latency, higher bandwidth density, and cost-effectiveness.

Avicena’s LightBundle technology is based on arrays of innovative GaN microLEDs that can be integrated directly onto high-performance CMOS ICs. Each microLED array is connected to a matching array of CMOS-compatible PDs via a multi-core fiber cable. The company has already demonstrated microLEDs transmitting at over 10 Gbps per lane and a test ASIC running 32 lanes at less than 1pJ/bit. They are now developing their first ASIC in a 16 nm finFET process with over 300 lanes and an aggregate bandwidth of over 1Tbps bi-directional at 4 Gbps per lane. The ASIC, measuring less than 12 mm², contains the necessary circuitry for optical transmission and reception, as well as a high-speed parallel electrical interface and various DFT/DFM functions.

In the future, Avicena plans to further enhance the LightBundle platform, enabling interconnects with high-bandwidth density of multi-Tbps per mm² in advanced CMOS process nodes. The low power, high density, and low latency of LightBundle make it compatible with chiplet interfaces like UCIe, OpenHBI, and BoW, and it can also improve system architectures limited by existing compute interconnects such as PCIe/CXL and HBM/DDR/GDDR memory links. With Avicena’s LightBundle technology, the possibilities for AI innovation and system performance are endless.

Avicena introduces Revolutionary microLED Transceiver IC for Chip-to-Chip Connections

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