Silicon photonics has the potential to transform HPC: it’s a dual-threat interconnect technology that could – if and when it is wrestled into commercial, cost-effective form – move data within chips and systems much faster than conventional, copper-based interconnects while also delivering far greater energy efficiency. Venture-backed start-ups and established tech companies (HPC, NVIDIA, AMD and Intel, to name four) have mounted significant R&D efforts.  In this episode of the @HPCpodcast, Shahin and Doug spoke with a leading silicon photonics expert, Keren Bergmen, Columbia University’s Charles Batchelor Professor of Electrical Engineering, Faculty Director of the Columbia Nano Initiative, and Principal Investigator of the university’s Lightwave Research Laboratory. Prof. Bergman is the recipient of the 2016 IEEE Photonics Engineering Award and is a Fellow of Optica (Optical Society of America) and of IEEE. We cover a range of topics, including: silicon photonics vs. fiber optics used in telecommunications, the use of photo….