Wiwynn, Ayar Labs and Global Unichip Corp. (GUC) presented a three-company optical compute demonstration at the OCP Global Summit in San Jose on 13 October, moving beyond their earlier rack-level architecture collaboration, Wiwynn said in its announcement.
Key points
- Wiwynn says the live system combines GUC multi-chip packages with Ayar Labs optical engines and light sources.
- Optical-engine telemetry is displayed continuously while the tuning system tracks thermal and wavelength drift, according to Wiwynn.
- Unite.AI describes a wider rack-level display involving Corning and Senko alongside Ayar Labs and GUC.
GUC packages carry Ayar Labs optical engines
GUC supplies the multi-chip packages used in the demonstration. Wiwynn says those packages contain Ayar Labs’ TeraPHY optical engines, paired with its SuperNova light source. The combination puts optical connections inside a working compute system rather than leaving the three companies’ collaboration at the rack-architecture stage described in their earlier work.
During the demonstration, Wiwynn says, the system repeatedly polls the optical engines and displays their health telemetry in real time. Its tuning subsystem follows changes in temperature and wavelength. Wiwynn says eye height, optical modulation amplitude and extinction ratio remain steady alongside optical-engine and light-source temperatures during live operation.
Those readings address a practical requirement for running optical links within a compute system: operators need to monitor the components as conditions change. Wiwynn describes the telemetry display as a way for data-centre teams to see system status. Its account concerns the demonstration’s operation, rather than a customer installation.
Sean Tai, GUC’s president, said bringing optical input and output into chip design allowed the partners to consider system requirements earlier. He said that approach could shorten the development cycle between chip design and a system ready for use. GUC provides chip implementation and system-on-chip manufacturing services and is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange, according to Wiwynn’s announcement.
Wiwynn shows an ORV3-ready compute tray
Wiwynn says its ORV3-ready compute system accommodates the GUC package, the TeraPHY engines and ELSFP-based SuperNova light sources. The company also describes a detachable fibre attachment unit and fibre routing inside the chassis, features it presents as part of servicing and manufacturing the compute system.
The announcement centres on a live compute-tray demonstration by Wiwynn, Ayar Labs and GUC. A separate account describes Wiwynn’s summit display as a rack-level co-packaged-optics solution involving Ayar Labs, Corning, GUC and Senko, Unite.AI reported. That account covers fibre routing, patch panels and fibre management across the rack, as well as the live optical-engine telemetry display.
Wiwynn says its system-level cooling design supports the optical components during operation. William Lin, Wiwynn’s president and chief executive, described the demonstration as a deeper integration of the partners’ components within a system architecture. The company also supplies server design, system integration and rack delivery, with manufacturing operations in Taiwan, the United States, Mexico, Malaysia and the Czech Republic.
The optical work sits beside other compute platforms in Wiwynn’s summit display. Unite.AI reported that the company was presenting Nvidia Vera Rubin NVL72 and AMD Helios rack platforms. AI Affairs has also reported Nvidia’s contribution of Vera Rubin designs to OCP and its plans for USFP optics with Cisco.
Ayar Labs links the display to deployment
Mark Wade, Ayar Labs’ chief executive and co-founder, said the collaboration focuses on operating and managing optical components in a complete platform. Wiwynn says the companies intend to continue working towards high-volume deployment. That remains a stated aim of the partnership, while the summit presentation is a live system demonstration.
Founded in 2015, Ayar Labs has strategic investors including AMD, Applied Ventures, MediaTek, Nvidia, VentureTech Alliance and Wiwynn, according to Wiwynn’s announcement. Its TeraPHY engines and SuperNova sources give the company a role in both the packaged optical connection and the light supply used in the demonstration.
Wiwynn and Ayar Labs staff are scheduled to present workshops on rack-ready ELSFP light sources and open rack-scale optical infrastructure on 14 October, Unite.AI reported.
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