A comparison of lossy and superconducting interconnect for computers

A study of the effect of a superconducting interconnect on computer performance is discussed. The signal propagation delay along a lossy as well as a lossless controlled impedance interconnect as a function of driver resistance, line resistivity, and line length and width is considered. For controlled impedance lines, superconductors improve the performance for narrow lines and driven impedances at or below the characteristic impedance of the transmission line. The potential advantage of a superconducting interconnect for signal propagation in high-performance systems is mainly a reduced number of interconnect layers