Peripheral compute node with near-package optics interface for optical communication

A multiprocessor compute cluster, comprising:

• a host compute node;
• and
• a plurality of peripheral compute nodes communicatively coupled to the host compute node, each peripheral compute node of the plurality of peripheral compute nodes comprising:
• an electronic circuit substrate;
• a high-performance computing accelerator module mounted on the electronic circuit substrate and communicatively coupled with the host compute node;
• an electrical-to-optical converter packaged separately from the high-performance computing accelerator module, mechanically mounted on the electronic circuit substrate immediately adjacent to the high-performance computing accelerator module and outside a package of the high-performance computing accelerator module, and configured to convert electrical signals from the high-performance computing accelerator module to optical signals for transmission to one or more other compute nodes and to convert optical signals from the one or more other compute nodes to electrical signals;
• and
• a near-package optics interface comprising an intermediate conductive layer on the electronic circuit substrate providing direct electrical connection between the high-performance computing accelerator module and the electrical-to-optical converter at a board level external to respective packages of the high-performance computing accelerator module and the electrical-to-optical converter, wherein the high-performance computing accelerator module and the electrical-to-optical converter do not share a common package substrate or interposer, and wherein the intermediate conductive layer comprises electrical traces routed on the electronic circuit substrate between a package of the high-performance computing accelerator module and a package of the electrical-to-optical converter;
• wherein the plurality of peripheral compute nodes are configured for direct peer-to-peer optical communication to enable distributed computing operations without routing through the host compute node.

A method of transmitting data between high-performance computing accelerator modules in a distributed computing system, comprising:

• generating electrical data signals at a first high-performance computing accelerator module mounted on a first electronic circuit substrate during computational processing operations, wherein the first high-performance computing accelerator module is packaged separately from a first electrical-to-optical converter that is mechanically mounted on the first electronic circuit substrate immediately adjacent to the first high-performance computing accelerator module and outside a package of the first high-performance computing accelerator module, and wherein a near-package optics interface comprising an intermediate conductive layer on the first electronic circuit substrate provides direct electrical connection between the first high-performance computing accelerator module and the first electrical-to-optical converter at a board level external to respective packages of the first high-performance computing accelerator module and the first electrical-to-optical converter, the first high-performance computing accelerator module and the first electrical-to-optical converter not sharing a common package substrate or interposer, and the intermediate conductive layer comprising electrical traces routed on the first electronic circuit substrate between a package of the first high-performance computing accelerator module and a package of the first electrical-to-optical converter;
• transmitting the electrical data signals from the first high-performance computing accelerator module through the intermediate conductive layer having electrical traces with path lengths of less than 50 millimeters to the first electrical-to-optical converter;
• converting the electrical data signals to optical data signals using the first electrical-to-optical converter;
• transmitting the optical data signals directly to a second electrical-to-optical converter;
• converting the optical data signals back to electrical data signals using the second electrical-to-optical converter;
• transmitting the converted electrical data signals from the second electrical-to-optical converter through a second intermediate conductive layer to a second high-performance computing accelerator module;
• and
• processing the electrical data signals at the second high-performance computing accelerator module to continue distributed computational operations.