ARPA-E: Energy Efficient Integrated Photonic Networking Technologies

This is a Request for Information only. This RFI is not accepting applications for financial assistance. The purpose of this RFI is solely to solicit input for ARPA-E consideration to inform the possible formulation of future programs.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) of the United States Department of Energy is seeking information concerning the current state of development of energy efficient photonic technologies for communication networks within datacenter and high-performance computing (HPC) systems. ARPA-E is interested in technologies which have the potential to enable a transformative improvement in performance and efficiency of datacenter and HPC systems as compared to the state of the art. Specifically, ARPA-E is interested in learning of technologies that can meet the technical metrics originally outlined in the ENLITENED FOA DE-FOA-0001566, but that are not currently funded under the portfolio of projects in the ARPA-E ENLITENED program.

ARPA-E is seeking information on technologies at an advanced level of development, albeit prior to commercialization and full-scale production. ARPA-E is not interested in early stage technologies which are unproven or not yet reduced to practice in the form of an operational device/component/subsystem. Depending on the responses to this RFI, ARPA-E may consider the rapid initiation of a competition that would result in one or more funded collaborative research projects to advance the state of the art in integrated photonic networking technologies.

Please carefully review the REQUEST FOR INFORMATION GUIDELINES below. Please note, in particular, that the information you provide will be used by ARPA-E solely for program planning, without attribution. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME.