Next-gen AI networks may hinge on the telephone switchboard's return

If you thought 72 GPUs per rack was dense, next-generation designs from Nvidia and others will cram hundreds or even thousands of accelerators into a single massive system. But for any of that to happen, they're going to need a lot of optics and technology that's reminiscent of the old-fashioned telephone switchboard. This reality has fueled a flurry of investment in everything from photonics startups to established optical equipment and fiber manufacturing.