If computer clocks max out somewhere around 5GHz, how is it possible for 100Gbit internet to exist? How does the computer possibly transfer that much data per second?

Question

If computer clocks max out somewhere around 5GHz, how is it possible for 100Gbit internet to exist? How does the computer possibly transfer that much data per second?

In: 591

Answer 1

A gigabit is a measure of serial data, that is to say, a billion binary digits (bits). “Per second” makes this a stream of serial data.

A CPU also runs using binary, but in parallel. Simplistically-speaking, a single core single thread 32-bit processor “works” with 32 bits at one time. It looks into its intray and pulls a 32 of those bits at once as a “word”. Whilst inaccurate, 32 bits at 5GHz is 32 x 5 billion, or 160 billion bits.

Also, 100Gbit internet (ethernet?) is a statement of capacity and rarely seen as a sustained transfer for long periods of time. It *can* run up to 100Gbit.

This is a bit of an oversimplification, but illustrates the numbers. In reality, the CPU is not working hands-on with the network data. That is managed separately. Consider the CPU the boss, whilst the network interface is a delegated expert on network stuff, including serial data to usable “words” or bytes.