Development of dynamic data centre networks and fast-tunable lasers in the DYNAMOS project

Abstract

This paper summarizes the goals and first results of the EU-funded project DYNAMOS, which develops fast (1 ns) and widely tunable (>110 nm) lasers, energy-efficient (~ fJ/bit), broadband (100 GHz) electro-optic modulators, and highspeed (1 ns) broadcast-and-select packet switches as photonic integrated circuits. These components are used to demonstrate novel data centre networks with highly deterministic sub-microsecond latency to enable maximum congestion reduction, full bisection bandwidth and guaranteed quality of service while reducing cost per Gbps. The methods to achieve the goals are first described. Then the first results from optical amplifiers, modulators, and lasers are reported with the main focus on lasers that can be tuned fast over a wide wavelength range.