OCP: Photonics in Supercomputer Systems for HPC & AI
Original Article by SemiVision Research (HPE ,Nvidia, AMD , Intel , Fujitsu,TSMC)
At the 2025 OCP Forum, SemiVision has highlighted key speeches to share the latest technology development trends. This year’s theme focuses on silicon photonics, with discussions now moving beyond basic concepts toward practical applications, increasing the complexity of related topics.
Among the highlights, network architecture based on Optical Circuit Switching (OCS) was discussed, along with optical module vendors demonstrating solutions that combine Linear Pluggable Optics (LPO) with network switches.
This particular session specifically addresses “Photonics in Supercomputer Systems for HPC and AI”, exploring how photonics can be integrated into switches and whether there is an opportunity for deeper integration with supercomputers—a key question this session aims to answer.
The speaker, Chief Architect of HPE’s Slingshot Networking Product, discussed the current interconnect technologies used in High-Performance Computing (HPC) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems, and shared his vision for the future of photonics integration.
While today’s systems largely rely on Ethernet networks, the speaker highlighted that emerging high-bandwidth demands are making photonic-electronic integration increasingly critical. He emphasized that cost, manufacturability, reliability, and compatibility with existing manufacturing flows are essential factors for the successful adoption of photonic solutions.
He also stressed the importance of developing standardized optical endpoints and interfaces to accelerate the commercialization and adoption of photonics. Finally, the speaker noted that power management and serviceability remain key challenges that the photonics industry must address.
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