M-ENGINE proposes a unique solution to the rapidly increasing bandwidth demands of data centres. With the massive growth of AI and social media in an increasingly connected world, data centres are expected to account for 20% of Europe’s energy use by 2030, posing a significant challenge to meet the EU’s climate goals.
M-ENGINE offers a scalable solution based on the Nobel prize-winning technology of optical frequency combs to provide highly coherent multichannel lasers for high-capacity, low energy consumption data transmission. M-ENGINE’s solution can replace 100s of individual lasers used in connecting data centres with just one compact system.
M-ENGINE combines Enlightra’s photonic chip technology with XCeleprint’s cutting-edge solution of micro-transfer printing for scalable heterogeneous integration. Eblana photonics’ high-power distributed feedback lasers will be transformed for transfer printing on the wafer scale, while Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY) and Laboratoire Interdisciplinary Carnot de Bourgogne (ICB) will contribute recent breakthroughs in chip-integrated frequency combs enabling increased efficiency and stability. Dublin City University (DCU) will perform independent performance testing for telecom before test devices are sent out to customers for pilot projects.
M-ENGINE will result in a scalable photonic chip engine meeting future data need with reliability, long-term operation, and a clear business case. M-ENGINE’s primary market focus will be data centres, but it will have the flexibility to address related markets, such as photonic computing.
3D image of a photonic integrated circuit of laser comb engine for use in high-capacity data centre communications” Credit – Gustavo Henrique
