Next-generation applications and services are generating vast artificial intelligence (AI) workloads in data centers, presenting engineers with the challenge of handling these workloads within reasonable bounds of energy consumption.
It’s a task that calls for research and development of new electrical and optical designs — something that design and validation solution provider Keysight Technologies Inc. is supporting through its recent introduction of a new arbitrary waveform generator, the M8199B AWG.
According to the company, the device enables development of designs employing multi-level modulation formats (e.g., 64QAM) at “well beyond 160 GBaud,” and the specs are certainly impressive. These include sampling rate up to 256 giga-samples per second, analog bandwidth exceeding 80 GHz and synchronization of up to eight channels across four modules. Keysight said that its AWG provides the speed, bandwidth, precision and flexibility to meet the challenges of next-generation applications, enabling data transmission greater than 400 Gb/s per lane in intensity-modulation/direct-detect (IM/DD) and greater than 1.6 Tb/s per carrier in coherent optical communications.
Key benefits include:
- Intensity-Modulation/Direct-Detect (IM/DD) and coherent optical applications. The M8199B AWG provides flexibility for advanced research on new modulation formats to boost transmission rates to the next level, aligning with research experiments using multi-level pulse-amplitude modulation (PAM), quadrature-amplitude modulation (QAM) formats and other proprietary modulation formats at symbol rates approaching 200 GBaud. In addition, it provides stress signals to test next generation electro/optical components, digital signal processor application-specific integrated circuits (DSP-ASICs), and new algorithm concepts for multi-terabit transmissions systems.
- Wideband radio frequency (RF) signal generation in wireless and aerospace/defense applications. The new device also addresses the latest developments in radar and wireless technologies, which require generation of high-quality signals with modulation bandwidths well beyond 10 GHz. These applications are also supported by signal generation on an intermediate frequency (IF) rather than on quadrature signals.
- Physics, chemistry and general-purpose electronics research. The M8199B AWG enables users to generate any arbitrary waveform that can be mathematically described, including ultra-short pulses, wideband RF pulses, and chirps. These can be used for investigation in a wide range of applications including chemical reactions, elementary particle excitation and quantum effects.
“We are pleased with Keysight's continuous efforts to deliver first-to-market solutions that support our customers to connect and sustain our planet and take the next step in the race for higher data transmission rates,” said Dr. Joachim Peerlings, vice president and general manager of Keysight's Network and Data Center business, in a press release about the new device.
