Conclusion
Optical Interconnects - Technologies and applications

The advent of 5th- and 6th-generation wireless networks—which provide real-time access anywhere in the world to a virtually infinite amount of information and content—along with the emergence of data-hungry AI systems, has significantly revolutionized traditional communication architectures. Data centers—the nerve centers of networks—concentrate within them the volume of data that must be exchanged, processed, and stored in near real time. The instantaneous data rates they must handle exceed 100 terabits per second. Whereas electrons and copper connections are limited to a few gigabits per second, photons are the only ones capable of carrying this information. Optical interconnects meet this ever-growing demand by enabling innovation in three key areas:

• technology: the advent of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) has enabled the development of low-power,...