Research Areas

This research area aims to explore the design space of flexible accelerator network architectures by leveraging reconfigurable wavelength selective switches and Dense Wavelength-Division Multiplexing (DWDM) transceivers. The proposed architecture is evaluated using network-level simulations and testbed experiments, and its performance is compared with state-of-the-art accelerator architectures. A key objective of our work to develop a flexible, photonic interconnect that enhances communication efficiency in AI/ML applications. 

Built around the FastNICs (Fast Network Interface Card) program, our work on photonic network interfaces focuses on addressing the mismatch between computing and networking performance through the development, implementation, integration, and validation of novel optical network interface cards.

Thermal controls form a critical component of any practical co-integrated photonic transceiver technology. We are working to develop a set of thermal test platforms which may be used to demonstrate performance at datacenter temperature levels, and to characterize shifts in device qualities across the thermal spectrum. These efforts include rigorous simulation efforts and practical evaluations using temperature-controlled testing chambers, to ensure that valid models may be developed for future use.

Currently lead by our work on the Space-Based Adaptive Communications Node (Space-BACN) program, this area aims to revolutionize the way space-based communications work by developing low-cost, high-speed reconfigurable optical datalinks to connect various low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations.