Sources: 'Light Peak' technology not Apple idea

Industry sources are refuting a report claiming that a future fiber-optics technology was an Apple idea that was brought to Intel.

Intel's Jason Ziller showing 'miniaturized' optical module

(Credit: Intel)

Light Peak was an Intel Labs project that the chipmaker was working on before anyone was thinking of using it, according to industry sources close to the issue. Light Peak can carry data at 10 gigabits per second in both directions simultaneously and Intel expects it will reach 100 gigabits per second in the next decade.

Engadget reported last week that Apple "brought the concept to Intel and asked them to create it." Apple did not respond to e-mail queries.

Intel showed the technology to third parties, got feedback, then incorporated the feedback into the next design. Apple is an innovating force in the industry and makes requests that nobody else does and that only helps innovation, the sources added.

Separately, on Tuesday, in an interview, Jason Ziller, director of Intel's optical input-output program office, spoke more about the technology that is expected to be used on future PCs and consumer electronics devices.

"We've been working on optical for many years. Specifically, this technology the last couple of years," he said. "We've developed the technology, we've developed the specifications, documenting the technology, and we have prototype product," he said.

Ziller said Intel will be supplying the core silicon for the technology. "Intel will be supplying the controller chip and then there's also an optical module that does the optical conversion. We developed the (optical module) technology and reference design and it's going to be manufactured by other third party optical manufacturers," he said.

Companies that will be involved in the optical module production and "everything around the module" include Foxconn, Foxlink, Avago, SAE, Iptronics, Corning, Elaser, and Ensphere, according to Intel.

"All of these components will be available next year," Ziller said. "The product that we're developing now, that we're ready to ship next year is based on our current specification. Because there is customer demand for that," he said.

Ziller said initially that products may appear that have both Light Peak and other connectors, such as USB, but that the ultimate goal is to have one single connector technology. "It doesn't change the track that electrical USB 3.0 is on. That's going to continue going forward. What Light Peak allows is that USB 3.0 and, or, other protocols could, down the road, be run over optical in this fashion," he said. USB 3.0 is the next-generation USB technology that would replace the current USB 2.X technology found on virtually all PCs today.

Ziller continued. "So, it complements existing electrical protocols and enhances them to run over optical, maybe over longer cables and also together on the same cable because Light Peak supports multiple protocols running simultaneously," he said. Other connector technologies include FireWire, DVI, DisplayPort, and HDMI.

"In the future, these protocols could also run at higher speeds as they evolve over time," he added.

"We'll be evaluating and looking at it as it comes forward," said Jeff Ravencraft, the USB Implementers Forum president and chairman. "We'll continue to evaluate and work with Jason's team."

[rwm72]

"We've developed the technology, we've developed the specifications, documenting the technology, and we have prototype product,"

As if Intel would admit Apple came up with the concept, and why should they. They have done all the research and development and have paid the bills on the project. If Apple did discuss the concept as a wishful thinking suggestion, and even gave them inspiration, then great, it pushes Intel to innovate, which will benefit Apple products anyway. Whoever came up with tech, Apple or not, it sounds great. Bring it on.

[mbenedict]

It still intrigues me that the only announced partner so far is Sony. And even Intel's reference examples cite transferring data from Blu-ray dics.

I'm holding to my guess that Sony actually holds some key patents in this space, likely something about the optical conversion module.

[zyxxy]

These types of modules, in different formats, have been used in optical gear, such as SONET equipment, for years. Companies such as Finisar have been building SFPs to bridge a standard electrical connector to specific optical interfaces for years. This is just a case of shrinking the packaging by limiting the solution domain.You can buy an SFP that can drive 10Gbps full duplex for 60 or 80 km. Simplify that to 10Gbps over tens of feet and the problem is much easier to solve. My guess is that SONY holds few or no patents in this space. Or even Intel. They may have some IP on the connector, particularly on the electrical side, but the conversion concept will be self evident from the long history in optical networking. This seems to be a case of Intel driving technology to push the PC to be the entertainment hub of the household. Collapse the current hodgepodge of connectors down to just one. HDMI, eSATA, S/PDIF, even networking. One cable to carry them all. One cable to bind them all. (Something like that...) At 10Gbps, that is equivalent to PCIe-4, so you could run a converter out to an outboard PCIe switch, and support outboard PCIe-4 peripherals at full rate. At 40Gbps, that would support PCIe-16, and you could have outboard gaming graphics. Imagine that, a netbook with a single optical I/O that could dock to high end graphics for gaming, with a single optical cable.

Intel adopted existing tech (which costs a small fortune) to push it into a consumer oriented format. It seems like a perfectly natural progression on the path of high speed serial interfaces, to me. FireWire, USB, SATA, now LightPeak. (PCIe over cable. That would totally rule!)

[solitare_pax]

I'll bite - why the rumor that Apple is a co-creator? Anyone can see that this tech is the natural next step for fiber optic technology, which has been aroundfor a good long time.

Maybe someone remembered the old battle between RJ45 connectors and the fiber-optic ethernet connectors (the micro AAUI type) Apple had on their early generations of Power PCs and assumed they were updating the tech...

[assman]

Engadget is such rubbish. Light Peak is and always was Intel technology, Apple is simply interested in it for obvious reasons. I'm sure all other computer manufacturers are similarly interested in it.

[danielwsmithee]

My guess is it when down something like this. Intel had a new technology for data transport over fiber optic cables. They envisioned it originally as a replacement for ethernet. They demoed it to a few other companies including Apple. Apple gave them feedback and said the technology has much more potential then intel had originally conceived. Apple suggested a transport protocol that allowed for simple data multiplexing/de-multiplexing.

Just my wild guess ... which is about what all the articles are.

[zyxxy]

High speed serial mux/demux is about as new as me. That is, very old.

FireWire does it. USB does it. PCIe does it. SONET has done it forever.

[zyxxy]

I should have added, it is much less likely multiplexed, and more likely packet based.

[sojourn3r]

Just surprised to see Foxconn's name listed. It wasn't but a few months ago, they where to exit the mobo industry.

[mbenedict]

We have no idea what role Foxconn will play in all this, if any. They could produce a component, or maybe do the final assembly and packaging of Light Peak modules. They obviously have a huge amount of expertise in small / mobile consumer electronics.

[tech_crazy]

Data transmission through optical fiber has been around for decades. What is it exactly that Intel has done anew?

[adasha76]

Do you read articles before posting?

http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-10362246-264.html

[DrtyDogg]

Made a low cost controller that can translate said fiber optic data for the computer, designed a small user friendly connector that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, created a protocol that can be standardized for the PC industry. . .

[dascha1]

Who was the first with the Fairlight idea?

[Squashman2]

I though it was Steve Jobs who proposed back in the late 80's that computers use fiber for the entire system bus.

[mbenedict]

That would be a dumb idea. You'd have to convert electrical connections (say from the CPU) to optical connections, traverse a few inches down the optical path, then re-convert everything back to electrical again (say for the GPU). It would be slower than an all-electrical system and vastly more expensive. Why bother? Just for Apple marketing hype?

Optical connections are typically only a benefit if you need high bandwidth over longer distances. Or if you need isolation... e.g. protection against electrical spikes, EMF interference, solar radiation, etc.

Other than building telecom/networking equipment about the only place you'll see optical buses is for military & space applications. These optical interconnects are very slow compared to electrical buses... at best 1/1000th the speed of a regular PC bus slot.

Maybe things will change when we get to quantum computing.

[AppleSuxLeo]

Aw , you just burst the bubble of those who "worship at the altar of Jobs"

[fokkwp]

"Apple is an innovating force in the industry and makes requests that nobody else does and that only helps innovation, the sources added."

Just like when they asked Xerox PARC to please, please create the graphical user interface that Apple then "borrowed" for the Macintosh. Or when they asked NeXt Computing to please, please create OS X. Or when they asked Mosaic to invent the web browser. Right, right, right.

[Jonathan Monahan]

Do you really believe the things that come out of your mouth?

[play7]

If you know your apple ABC..........you would know that statment is correct.............If so sad seeing people looking like they know whatthey are gabbing about when in real terms they just don`t now and make up stories..Fokkwp is correct.....

[solicitehere]

Apple Ethics are very, well, undefined. Xerox found out first hand. At least Job's got a taste of it back from Bill Gates.

[Roman1024A]

"... was an Intel Labs project that the chipmaker was working on before anyone was thinking of using it ..."

Whoa. What a puffy statement which can be proved by nobody. "Industry sources" know what every now-living or now-dead person in world is or was thinking??? Crystal ball told them?

[play7]

? why is this placed in two different stories?

[aristotle_dude]

Here is the demo of Light Peak. It is running on a prototype Mac Pro running Snow Leopard.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khPx1dEIPnA

Words are just words and of course Sony would want to be associated with it but they used mac prototype mac hardware and mac software for the demo.

[Rogzilla]

Did I miss something. Most of this article is just about Intel selling Light Peak. Where are the quotes from the "Industry sources" that said Apple didn't originally pitch the idea? I am sorry, but "nuh uh, an unnamed source is saying different and I wont tell you who or what they said" just doesn't work for me.

It isn't like there isn't precendent for this, Apple proposing an idea to Intel and Intel developing it. Case and point: Macbook Air CPU.