Reconfigurable optical interconnection networks without optical switching

The Melbourne University Optoelectronic Multicomputer Project is developing dense optical interconnection networks that support the efficient transfer of 32 or 64 b of data. The high density of these networks has been achieved by providing each processing element (PE) with multiple broadcasting-channels. Multiple broadcasting is an alternative to the optical crossbar switch, but networks based on multiple broadcasting do not need any optical switches, and are therefore suited for implementation with state-of-the-art optical technology