High-port-count optical circuit switches for intra-datacenter networks [Invited Tutorial]

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

With the rapid spread of cloud-based services, intra-datacenter traffic is growing exponentially. In typical present datacenters, top-of-rack switches, which act as gateways to computer systems, are interconnected via multi-tier electrical-switching networks. The electrical switch necessitates costly optical-to-electrical and electrical-to-optical conversion. Furthermore, its power consumption will explode due to the ever-increasing intra-datacenter traffic. To handle the large volumes of traffic in a cost-effective manner, optical switches are expected to play a key role in future intra-datacenter networks. To realize such cost-effective networks, high-port-count optical circuit switches will be a critical component. High-port-count optical circuit switches can be used to construct a flat network, and we can reduce the dependence on costly multi-tier electrical-switching networks. In this tutorial paper, we overview high-port-count optical circuit switch architectures for future intra-datacenter networks and discuss their characteristics. The high-port-count switch can be attained by combining the different dimensions of space and wavelength.