Luxtera will join forces with Sun Microsystems to develop the next generation of optical interconnects. Under the DARPA Ultraperformance Nanophotonic Intrachip Communications (UNIC) program, the interconnects will produce new chip-to-chip and intrachip interconnect technology, which could lead to enhanced high-performance computer systems. Luxtera will supply strategic direction, baseline optoelectronic circuits, silicon fabrication processes, tools and device design support for Sun Microsystems to produce low-power optical transmitters and receivers. Luxtera’s existing silicon CMOS photonics optical I/O technology will assist in the project as well, as it is already providing a more efficient way to construct optical transceivers that increase efficiency and reliability. “We enable fabrication of optical and electronic circuits on a common mainstream CMOS chip,” said Luxtera CEO Greg Young. “This capability is the key enabler of next-generation, optically interconnected multicore processors and computing systems.” For more information, visit: www.luxtera.com