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Data-intensive services such as cloud computing and ultra-high
definition (UHD) video can clog networks and increase electricity costs. So
what does the future hold? According to Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and
Industry (METI), networking equipment in 2025 will use 13 times more
electricity than in 2006. That's unless serious energy-saving measures are
achieved, and without the addition of any new network services that METI may
have missed.
Fortunately, Fujitsu Laboratories just announced that it can
cut the power consumption of an optical waveguide switch by 50%. The subsidiary
of Fujitsu Limited plans to use fine-pattered silicon germanium (SiGe) to produce
high-speed optical switches that will work across a wide range of wavelengths and
feature the world's lowest power requirements. Because it has a narrower
bandgap that silicon (Si) alone, fine-patterned SiGe accumulates electrons more
efficiently.
Does this development pave the way for high-speed services that can connect cloud networks and provide UHD videoconferencing?
Source: Fujitsu
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Re: More Data, Less Power
