What has been done?

Gigalight’s 400G CPO product has been successfully launched to the market. We plan to release the 1600G CPO R\&D sample at ECOC 2025.
This design offers excellent scalability: the future 1600G CPO can be expanded from the existing 16-channel architecture to 32 channels, supporting 3200G CPO. The per-channel data rate can be flexibly configured as 100G PAM4 or 200G PAM4, significantly enhancing overall bandwidth capacity.
The Gigalight 1600G CPO adopts an advanced, highly integrated 2.5D hybrid packaging architecture combining Wire Bond (WB) and Flip Chip technologies. This significantly reduces the package size and overall footprint, improves system performance, lowers power consumption, increases integration density, and enables higher transmission speeds.

• Electrical Interface Standard: OlF CE1-112G-XSR
• Optical Interface Standard: lEEE-802.3bs 400GBASE-DR4
• Software standard: OlF-CMlS-05.3

What’s the significant commercial contribution?

1600G CPO refers to next-generation integrated optical link technology capable of delivering
approximately 1.6Tbps (1600Gbps) per port. By co-packaging the optical engine with the switching ASIC, this design significantly improves bandwidth density and shortens the electrical signal path compared to traditional pluggable optics.
Based on recent industry data, its commercial value, market trends, technological positioning, and challenges can be summarized as follows:

1.Significant energy savings and reduced power consumption
2.Improved bandwidth density
3.Meets the demands of next-generation AI/HPC high-performance clusters

What’s the outlook?

CPO is regarded as the next-generation interconnect technology. Leading companies are actively deploying co-packaged optics (CPO), with the market expected to reach \$5 billion by 2030. Industry giants such as NVIDIA have already entered the CPO field.
Julie Sheridan, the company’s CTO, cited LightCounting data showing that the data center optical interconnect market will grow from about \$10 billion in 2024 to \$30 billion by 2030.

What is the competitive positioning?

1.Versus Pluggable Modules:
Current pluggable optical modules (such as OSFP and QSFP-DD800) support speeds up to 1.6–3.2Tbps, with mature ecosystems and ease of maintenance. For example:

1600G OSFP228 DR8 has power consumption <30W (3nm DSP expected <25W)
1600G OSFP-XD DR8 <25W
Our 1600G CPO DR16 consumes less than 16W, making it significantly more power- and size-efficient than traditional optical modules.

2.LPO (Linear Pluggable Optics) as a Transitional Solution:
LPO modules omit DSP chips, cutting power consumption by 30–50%. Some industry leaders (e.g., Arista CTO) see LPO as a power-efficient compromise that doesn’t require changes to existing architecture. Current 800G OSFP DR8 LPO modules consume less than 9W.
However, LPO cannot match CPO in bandwidth density or energy efficiency and is likely just a mid-term stopgap.

3.Key Players:
The main CPO players currently include leading chipmakers like Broadcom, NVIDIA, and Marvell. Traditional network vendors (e.g., Cisco, Arista, Juniper) are currently leaning toward LPO or high-performance pluggables. Industry analysts note that trends over the next 2–3 years will determine which technology path becomes dominant.

Please include a description of challenges that might create headwinds.

1.High Structural Complexity and Packaging Precision:
CPO requires extremely precise packaging. For instance, fibers must be precisely aligned with the silicon photonics engine, and heat density increases significantly. Even if total power drops in a 51.2Tbps CPO switch, heat per unit area rises, necessitating advanced cooling like cold plate liquid cooling.

2.Maintenance and Reliability Issues:
CPOs are not hot-swappable. If the optical engine fails, the entire system must be returned for repair, resulting in a much higher mean time to repair (MTTR) than pluggable optics. While traditional modules may have a failure rate of 100 per million hours, a CPO module failure incurs significantly higher replacement costs and maintenance challenges.

3.Lack of Standardization and Supply Chain Risk:
CPO is currently developed with proprietary standards by a few vendors, and the industry has not yet adopted a universally compatible interface. This increases the risk of vendor lock-in during deployment.

4.Cost and Market Uncertainty:
CPO is still more expensive than traditional solutions. Although it offers lower power consumption, the initial deployment cost is high. In the event of an economic slowdown or delayed adoption, the CPO supply chain may face idle capacity or financial losses.

5.Threat from Alternative Technologies:
Some experts argue that despite its advanced capabilities, CPO’s structural complexity leaves room for emerging interconnect technologies to eventually surpass it. Additionally, continued optimization of traditional pluggable solutions (e.g., LPO/ LRO) may narrow the performance gap.

Product Overview

Introduction to Gigalight’s 1600G CPO Silicon Photonic Engine Based on Linear Direct-Drive Technology:

The linear silicon photonic 1600G CPO engine adopts a SOCKET slot packaging format and integrates LPO (Linear Pluggable Optics) direct-drive technology. By eliminating the DSP, the linear CPO silicon photonic engine significantly reduces both system-level power consumption and cost.

On the transmitter (TX) side, the optical output ranges from 0 to 3 dBm, with an extinction ratio between 4 and 5 dB. The TDECQ is less than 2.5 dB, typically falling between 1 and 2 dB.The operating wavelength range is from 1304.5 nm to 1317.5 nm, with an SMSR of ≥30 dB. The receiver (RX) side has an OMA sensitivity of less than -5.5 dBm.

• Electrical Interface Standard: OlF CE1-112G-XSR
• Optical Interface Standard: lEEE-802.3bs 400GBASE-DR4
• Software standard: OlF-CMlS-05.3

Key Specifications

The 1600G CPO linear silicon photonic engine features the following optical parameters:

• Transmitter (TX) optical output: 0 to 3 dBm
• Extinction ratio: 4 to 5 dB
• TDECQ: <2.5 dB, typically between 1 and 2 dB
• Wavelength range: 1304.5 nm to 1317.5 nm
• SMSR: ≥30 dB
• Receiver (RX) OMA sensitivity: < -5.5 dBm

The eye diagram is shown below:

Internal Structure of the Product

Adopts advanced hybrid packaging technology.

This design offers excellent scalability. The current 16-channel architecture of the 1600G CPO can be expanded to 32 channels in the future, enabling support for 3200G CPO. Each channel can be flexibly configured for either 100G PAM4 or 200G PAM4, significantly enhancing overall bandwidth capacity.

The Gigalight 1600G CPO adopts an advanced, highly integrated 2.5D hybrid packaging architecture combining Wire Bond (WB) and Flip Chip technologies. This approach significantly reduces package size and overall footprint, improves system performance, lowers power consumption, increases integration density, and enables higher system transmission speeds.

Main Manufacturing Process Flow:

1600G CPO Test Board and CPO Physical Unit

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— Building a High-Efficiency, Simplified, and Reliable DCI Interconnect Solution

With the rapid growth of Data Center Interconnect (DCI) demands, the need for high-bandwidth, low-power, and long-distance transmission solutions is becoming increasingly stringent. Our recommended single-wavelength 100G QSFP28 DWDM1 O-BAND optical module is a high-performance product specifically designed to meet this trend.

Key Technical Parameters:

Transmit Power: +1 dBm

Receiver Sensitivity: -9 dBm

Optical Power Budget: 10 dB

Number of Supported Channels: 16 O-Band DWDM wavelengths (200GHz spacing), offering flexible deployment and scalable expansion

Outstanding Performance in Real-World Testing Environments:

16 channels, no amplifier, over 20 km fiber with MUX & DEMUX

16 channels, with amplifier, over 30 km fiber with MUX & DEMUX

16 channels, with amplifier and TX attenuation/flatness optimization, over 30 km fiber with MUX & DEMUX

1. Standard Link Transmission Capability (No Amplifier)

Under a standard configuration with 5.5 dB MUX & DEMUX total insertion loss and 0.30 dB/km fiber attenuation, this module can reliably support 16 wavelengths over 15 km without any optical amplifier. This makes it ideal for medium-distance DCI scenarios, enabling plug-and-play high-density connections.

2. Enhanced Link Transmission Capability (With SOA Amplifier)

When deploying a single SOA optical amplifier (~7 dB gain), the module demonstrates excellent performance under the following conditions:

12 wavelengths, 30 km link (MUX & DEMUX + 30 km fiber + SOA): Perfect for high-density backbone interconnections between data centers

16 wavelengths, 30 km link (Extreme Testing): After TX flatness optimization, stable performance is achieved, supporting the demands of hyperscale DCI deployments

This module is compatible with 100G LR4 (Cisco coding), has a built-in DSP, and supports KP4-FEC 106 configuration. In testing scenarios, the host FEC needs to be disabled, further validating the module’s link tolerance and onboard FEC correction capabilities.

Summary Recommendation:

With its high optical budget, excellent TX/RX performance, support for 16 wavelengths, and adaptability to a variety of link environments, this single-wavelength 100G QSFP28 DWDM1 O-BAND module is particularly well-suited for DCI scenarios requiring high-density deployment, high-bandwidth transmission, and medium-to-long distance connectivity. Whether in standard or enhanced link architectures, this module offers a high-performance, cost-effective, and easy-to-deploy solution for your DCI infrastructure.

For detailed technical documentation or sample testing support, please feel free to contact us at any time.

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— The Data Center Revolution Driven by Liquid-Cooled Optical Interconnects

1. Research Background and Industry Trends

1.1 Thermal Challenges in Data Centers
With the rapid development of AI, HPC (High-Performance Computing), and 5G, the power density of data centers has increased dramatically. Traditional air-cooling solutions can no longer meet the thermal demands of high-performance chips such as GPUs, ASICs, and optical chips. According to IDC, the global liquid-cooled data center market will exceed USD 20 billion by 2027, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25%.

1.2 Liquid Cooling Becomes Mainstream

Immersion Liquid Cooling: Direct-contact cooling with PUE as low as 1.02–1.05, suitable for ultra-high-density computing clusters.

Cold Plate Liquid Cooling: Suitable for partial retrofits, though less efficient than immersion cooling.

Silicon Photonics + Liquid Cooling: Silicon photonics (SiPh) reduces power consumption of optical modules. When combined with liquid cooling, it further improves energy efficiency.

As a leader in optical interconnect technology, Gigalight is pioneering immersion liquid-cooling extenders and silicon photonics liquid-cooled optical modules, driving data centers toward low-carbon and high-density development.

2. Technical Research & Analysis

2.1 Immersion Liquid-Cooling Extenders

Technical Highlights:

Product Design: Uses high-speed wire cores, supports extension up to 7 meters, continues our patented fish-shaped industrial design.

Module Compatibility: Supports multiple form factors such as QSFP28, QSFP-DD, OSFP, SFP112; compatible with 25G to 800G and future 1.6T optical modules, adaptable for various scenarios.

Thermal Management Optimization: Equipped with a 1.5W silent fan at the connector for enhanced heat dissipation.

Visual Monitoring Indicators: Designed for frequent hot-plugging at switch ports, helping extend port lifespan.

Gigalight Immersion Liquid-Cooling Extender Portfolio:

2.2 Silicon Photonics Liquid-Cooled Optical Modules

Technical Highlights:

Silicon Photonics Integration (SiPh): Offers high integration, low power consumption, lower cost, and high-speed transmission. Reduces module power consumption by 30%, supporting 400G/800G and future 1.6T speeds.

Packaging Design: Unique hermetically sealed housing with pressure resistance >0.2Mpa. The enclosure uses high thermal conductivity materials for 50% improved cooling efficiency in liquid environments. Includes a dedicated seal-check valve to ensure sealing quality.

Compatibility: Supports QSFP112, QSFP-DD, OSFP, OSFP-RHS and is ready for 100G–800G and future 1.6T modules.

CPO (Co-Packaged Optics) Compatible: Offers ultra-low power options for next-gen 51.2T switches.

Coolant Types Supported: Fluorinated liquid, mineral oil, silicone oil, etc.

Gigalight Silicon Photonics Liquid-Cooled Optical Module Portfolio:

3. Market Applications & Competitive Advantages

3.1 Target Markets

Supercomputing Centers: Demand ultra-high-density liquid cooling for GPU/CPU clusters.

Cloud Giants: Companies like Google, AWS, and Alibaba Cloud are building liquid-cooled data centers.

Edge Computing: High-power edge servers require compact liquid-cooled optical interconnects.

3.2 Competitive Advantages

Full-Stack Liquid-Cooled Interconnect Solutions: End-to-end support from optical modules to liquid-cooling extenders.

Silicon Photonics + Liquid Cooling: Dual-power reduction results in up to 40% overall energy efficiency improvement.

Open Ecosystem Collaboration: Joint solution development with chipmakers and liquid-cooling system vendors.

4. Future Outlook

1.6T Liquid-Cooled Optical Modules: Expected commercialization by 2026, enabling next-gen AI clusters.

Widespread CPO Deployment: Liquid cooling will be essential for the adoption of co-packaged optics.

Standardization Progress: Industry-wide standards for liquid-cooled optical interconnects will accelerate adoption.

5. Conclusion

Gigalight’s immersion liquid-cooling extenders and silicon photonics liquid-cooled optical modules represent the future of optical interconnects in data centers. These innovations not only solve the thermal bottleneck of high-performance computing, but also advance the industry’s move toward low-carbon and high-density infrastructure. With the exponential growth in AI computing demands, the liquid-cooled optical interconnect market is poised for rapid expansion — and Gigalightis well-positioned to become a key industry supplier.

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Recently, GIGALIGHT has introduced the 100G QSFP28 SR1 and 200G QSFP56 SR2 optical transceivers, specifically designed for short-distance interconnections. Leveraging cutting-edge technology, these transceivers empower customers to effortlessly construct future-ready, efficient network architectures.

Why Opt for 100G QSFP28 SR1 and 200G QSFP56 SR2?

Faced with the widely adopted 100G QSFP28 SR4 and 200G QSFP56 SR4 optical transceivers in the market, customers may wonder: Why choose these new offerings from GIGALIGHT? The answer lies in their tailored design to meet the demands of future network upgrades.

While traditional optical transceivers are mature and cost-effective, they struggle to keep pace with the requirements of high-speed network architectures like 400G/800G amidst the AI-driven network upgrade wave.

Technological Innovation to Meet Future Challenges

With the advent of 100G PAM4 technology, most 400G/800G optical transceivers now employ this technology (4×100G PAM4 and 8×100G PAM4). In this context, continuing to use 4-channel 25G NRZ (100G QSFP28 SR4) or 4×50G PAM4 (200G QSFP56 SR4) technologies would lead to issues such as speed mismatch, port wastage, and soaring costs. GIGALIGHT’s 100G QSFP28 SR1 and 200G QSFP56 SR2 optical transceivers are precisely engineered to address these pain points.

Case Study: Seamless Integration and Effortless Upgrades

Consider the example of connecting an NVIDIA ConnectX-7 (dual-port 200Gb/s) network card with a 400G QSFP112 switch. Direct connection would result in link downtime, with the switch reporting an “Unsupported speed” error. However, introducing the 200G QSFP56 SR2 optical transceiver resolves the issue. By utilizing dual-channel PAM4 modulation technology, this transceiver intelligently splits the 400G QSFP112 port into two independent 200G channels, enabling perfect interconnection with the 200G QSFP56 network card without hardware modifications. Similarly, a 400G QSFP112 switch can automatically recognize a 4×100G link through four 100G QSFP28 SR1 optical transceivers.

When connecting to an 800G switch, direct interconnection can be achieved using 8×100G QSFP28 SR1 or 4×200G QSFP56 SR4 transceivers. Moreover, GIGALIGHT’s 100G QSFP28 SR1 and 200G QSFP56 SR2 transceivers can also directly interconnect with each other, offering great convenience.

100G QSFP28 SR1: Single-Channel Efficiency and Simplified Cabling

Single-Channel Breakthrough: Utilizing PAM4 modulation technology, it achieves high-speed transmission of 100Gbps per channel, significantly reducing the number of optical fibers and simplifying cabling complexity.
Multimode Fiber Support: Based on OM4 fiber, it offers a transmission distance of up to 100 meters, meeting short-distance high-bandwidth demands.
Low Power Consumption Design: With power consumption below 3.5W, it enhances energy efficiency and is suitable for high-density deployment environments.

200G QSFP56 SR2: Dual-Channel Interconnection, Empowering the Future

Flexible Compatibility: Supporting PAM4 modulation technology, it is compatible with various baud rates from 25G to 200G, automatically adapting to mixed 400G/200G environments for seamless interconnection in heterogeneous data centers.
High Performance and Low Power Consumption: Employing advanced DSP chips and VCSEL laser technology, it reduces power consumption by 30% while achieving a single-channel rate of up to 100Gbps, ensuring stability in high-density deployments.
Plug-and-Play: With a standardized QSFP56 package, it supports hot-swapping and DDM real-time monitoring, enabling deployment in minutes and improving operational efficiency by 50%. Cabling costs are reduced by 70% compared to SR4, requiring only dual-core OM4 fiber for 100m transmission.

Broad Application Scenarios to Meet Future Demands

Whether for hyperscale cloud service providers, AI/ML data centers, or financial institutions with extremely high requirements for ultra-low latency, GIGALIGHT’s 100G QSFP28 SR1 and 200G QSFP56 SR2 optical transceivers provide bandwidth elasticity for the next decade.

Conclusion: Unleash Potential Without Obsolescence

By choosing GIGALIGHT’s 100G QSFP28 SR1 and 200G QSFP56 SR2 optical transceivers, you can immediately unlock the full potential of 400G/800G switches without discarding existing 100G/200G equipment, leading you into a new era of future network architectures.

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The explosive growth of artificial intelligence (AI) technology is reshaping the underlying logic of the global digital infrastructure. As the core transmission carrier of data centers and communication networks, the optical transceiver industry is standing in the “eye of the storm” of the AI ​​computing revolution. From the rate iteration of 800G to 1.6T, from the technological leap from traditional pluggable to CPO (co-packaged optics), optical transceivers are not only the “highways” of data transmission, but also the “blood transfusion channels” for AI large model training and reasoning. This article will deeply analyze the technological evolution, market demand and competitive landscape of the optical transceiver industry in the AI ​​era, and look forward to its future development prospects.

AI Computing Power Demand: The Underlying Logic Driving the Iteration of Optical Transceiver Technology

Exponential Demand for Bandwidth in Large-Model Training

The parameter count of individual AI large models has surpassed the trillion level (e.g., GPT-4), and the computing power required for training doubles every 3-4 months, far outpacing Moore’s Law. This directly drives the upgrade of optical interconnection bandwidth within data centers from 100G to 800G/1.6T. Taking NVIDIA’s DGX H100 server cluster as an example, its internal interconnection requires a total bandwidth of at least 4.8 Tbps, with the demand for optical transceivers per single cabinet exceeding 500 units.

Technical Challenges of Low Latency and High Energy Efficiency

AI computing has extremely low tolerance for data transmission latency (requiring less than 100 nanoseconds), while the power consumption of traditional pluggable optical transceivers already accounts for over 30% of the total energy consumption of data centers. CPO technology, by directly packaging the optical engine with the ASIC chip, can reduce power consumption by 40% and latency by 50%, becoming the next technological high ground. According to LightCounting’s forecast, the CPO market size will exceed $5 billion by 2027.

Commercial Breakthroughs in Silicon Photonics Technology

Silicon photonics technology integrates lasers, modulators, and detectors through CMOS processes, significantly reducing the cost and size of optical transceivers. Companies like Intel and Cisco have already launched silicon photonics 400G transceivers, and domestic manufacturers are also accelerating mass production. Yole predicts that the market share of silicon photonics modules will increase from 20% in 2023 to over 60% by 2030.

Market Landscape: Global Supply Chain Restructuring and Domestic Opportunities

“Arms Race” Among North American Cloud Providers

Tech giants such as Meta, Microsoft, and Google plan to increase the penetration rate of optical transceivers in AI data centers to 80% by 2024-2025. Taking Microsoft Azure as an example, its planned deployment of 1.6T optical transceivers will reach 2 million units by 2025, with a market size exceeding $3 billion. North American cloud providers are deeply binding with leading Chinese enterprises through the JDM (Joint Design Manufacturing) model.

Technological Breakthroughs by Chinese Manufacturers

With cost advantages and rapid iteration capabilities, Chinese optical transceiver enterprises have captured over 60% of the global market share. According to Omdia data, Chinese enterprises accounted for over 70% of the 800G market share in 2023.

Supply Chain Resilience Amid Geopolitical Tensions

U.S. semiconductor export controls on China have compelled domestic industry chain vertical integration. From optical chips, packaging materials to testing equipment, the domestic substitution rate has increased to over 50%. Meanwhile, leading companies have evaded tariff risks through overseas bases in Thailand and Malaysia, forming a global production capacity network of “Chinese design + Southeast Asian manufacturing”.

Future Trends: From Technological Evolution to Ecosystem Competition

The Rise of LPO (Linear Direct Drive) Technology

Compared with CPO, the LPO solution eliminates the need for DSP chips, reducing power consumption by 20% and cost by 30%, becoming an alternative for medium- and short-distance transmission.

Optoelectronic Integration and Intelligent Operation and Maintenance

Optical transceivers are evolving towards intelligence, integrating functions such as temperature sensing, power consumption monitoring, and failure prediction. The concept of “autonomous driving networks” proposes dynamically optimizing the working state of optical transceivers through AI algorithms, improving data center energy efficiency by 15%.

Standards Competition and Ecosystem Positioning

Industry alliances have become new battlefields for competition. International organizations such as COBO (Co-Packaged Optics Alliance) lead the formulation of CPO standards, while the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) has taken the lead in establishing the “Optoelectronic Integration Technology Committee” to promote the implementation of domestic standards. In the next five years, whoever holds the discursive power in technological standards will dominate the trillion-dollar AI computing power market.

Challenges and Risks

Uncertainty in Technological Iteration

The parallel development of multiple technological routes such as CPO, LPO, and silicon photonics may lead to risks of redundant investment. For example, if the heat dissipation and yield issues of CPO cannot be overcome, it may trigger industrial turbulence due to a shift in technological routes.

The “Bullwhip Effect” in the Supply Chain

Fluctuations in AI computing power demand may lead to inventory backlogs of optical transceivers. In Q4 2023, order cancellations by North American cloud providers caused some enterprises’ inventory turnover days to soar to over 120 days, exposing the fragility of demand forecasting.

The “Gray Rhino” of Geopolitics

The United States may include optical transceivers in the export control list or even restrict the supply of advanced optical chips to China. If domestic 25G and above DFB lasers cannot make breakthroughs, it will hinder the development of high-end products.

Conclusion

Under the dual revolutions of AI and computing power, the optical transceiver industry has evolved from a “supporting role” in the communications field to a strategic infrastructure for the digital economy. In the short term, the mass production of 800G and the R&D of 1.6T will spawn a new round of growth cycles; in the long term, optoelectronic integration and standards competition will define the industry’s final outcome. For Chinese enterprises, only by achieving a balance between technological innovation, supply chain resilience, and adaptation to international rules can they remain invincible in this global competition and cooperation. The future optical transceiver industry is not just a technological contest but a comprehensive game of ecosystems and strategies.

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Optical transceivers, optical DSPs (oDSPs), and switch ASICs are the core components of data center optical interconnects. The emergence of LPO (Linear-drive Pluggable Optics) and CPO (Co-packaged Optics) is driving the industry toward lower power consumption and higher density.

I. Core Component Functionality Analysis

1. Optical Transceivers: The Bridge for Electro-Optical Conversion

Optical transceivers are critical devices that convert electrical signals to optical signals and vice versa, widely used in data centers and telecom networks. Key functions include:

• Electro-Optical Conversion: Laser diodes modulate electrical signals into optical signals at the transmitter; photodetectors convert optical signals back to electrical signals at the receiver.
• Rate Adaptation: Support multi-rate standards (e.g., QSFP-DD, OSFP) from 100G to 1.6T, covering transmission distances from 50m to 2km.
• Signal Processing: Traditional transceivers rely on DSP chips for equalization, error correction, and dispersion compensation (e.g., DSPs account for ~50% of power consumption in 400G transceivers).

2. Optical DSP (oDSP): The “Brain” of Optical Transceivers

oDSPs are the most valuable electrical chips in transceivers (20%-30% of BOM cost). Key roles include:

• Modulation & Demodulation: In data center scenarios, PAM4 oDSPs use 4-level modulation to boost single-channel rates (e.g., 50G/100G) and compensate for signal distortion. In telecom long-haul scenarios, Coherent oDSPs use QPSK for high-sensitivity transmission.
• Signal Regeneration: Digital signal processing (e.g., FEC) restores degraded signals to ensure long-distance reliability.
• Power Consumption Challenge: In 800G transceivers, oDSPs consume ~6-8W, becoming the primary power source.

3. Switch ASICs: The Central Hub for Data Forwarding

Switch ASICs are the core of switches, responsible for high-speed data frame routing and forwarding. Functions include:

• Port Interconnection: Support multi-port high-speed connections (e.g., 112G SerDes) for low-latency data exchange between servers and storage.
• Protocol Processing: Integrate PAM4 modulation, CDR (Clock and Data Recovery), and flow control to ensure signal integrity.
• Collaborative Optimization: In LPO solutions, ASICs assume partial signal compensation (e.g., linear equalization, clock recovery) previously handled by oDSPs.

II. Technological Breakthroughs and Impacts of LPO & CPO

1. LPO: Cost and Efficiency Gains in Pluggable Architectures

Technical Features:

• DSP-Free Design: Replaces DSPs with high-linearity Driver/TIA chips, eliminating CDR and complex digital processing to reduce power, cost, and latency in 800G LPO modules.
• Compatibility: Retains pluggable formats (QSFP-DD/OSFP) with hot-swappable maintenance, suitable for short-reach (<2km) AI clusters and cost-sensitive scenarios.
• Standardization Progress: Based on OIF CEI-112G-Linear-PAM4, supports partial 800G commercialization, though 224G SerDes requires further validation.

Industry Impact:

• Power Revolution: A rack with 100 400G LPO modules saves >¥2,000 annually in electricity costs (PUE 1.5), with reduced cooling expenses.
• Supply Chain Shift: Reduces reliance on DSP vendors like Marvell/Broadcom, driving localization of Driver/TIA chips.
• Scenario Limitations: Relies on switch ASICs for signal compensation, limiting competitiveness in heterogeneous networks.

2. CPO: Performance Leap in Co-Packaged Architectures

Technical Path:

• Near-Packaging Evolution: From NPO (co-board optical engine) to CPO (co-packaged optical engine), reducing signal transmission distance from 10cm to millimeters, cutting power by 30%-50%.
• Integration Morphologies: Includes Type A (2.5D), Type B (Chiplet), and Type C (3D) packaging, advancing deep integration of silicon photonics with switch ASICs.
• Silicon Photonics Core: CPO relies on silicon photonics for high-density optical device integration, with silicon photonics expected to capture 60% market share by 2030.

Industry Impact:

• Performance Boost: A 1.6T CPO system supports 51.2T total bandwidth with sub-nanosecond latency, meeting AI training clusters’ ultra-high bandwidth demands.
• Ecosystem Challenges: Initially reliant on proprietary designs (e.g., NVIDIA Quantum-X), lacking unified standards, and high O&M costs due to whole-unit replacement for optical engine failures.
• Market Differentiation: CPO targets scale-up networks (e.g., multi-rack AI clusters), while scale-out networks still rely on pluggable modules.

III. Future Trends and Technological Dynamics

1. Multi-Technology Coexistence:

• LPO Dominates Mid-Term: By 2025-2027, LPO will rapidly penetrate AI clusters and mid-sized data centers, with >8M 1.6T LPO ports expected by 2027.
• CPO’s Long-Term Potential: Post-2030, CPO will gradually commercialize in hyperscale data centers, especially for 100T+ scenarios, as silicon photonics matures.
• DSP Persistence: DSP solutions will remain mainstream for long-haul and heterogeneous networks, with power-optimized “Link Optimized-DSP” variants.

2. Synergistic Innovation:

• Silicon Photonics Fusion: Enables LPO (reduces Driver/TIA costs) and CPO (achieves high-density integration), serving as a foundational technology for both.
• Packaging Breakthroughs: 3D packaging and TSV (Through-Silicon Vias) advance CPO to Type C, shrinking size and improving thermal efficiency.
• Standardization: IEEE 802.3 and OIF efforts will accelerate LPO interoperability, while CPO requires open ecosystems to resolve compatibility issues.

3. Supply Chain Restructuring:

• Chip Vendors: Marvell/Broadcom maintain DSP dominance but face LPO competition; NVIDIA/Intel integrate silicon photonics with ASICs via CPO to strengthen system-level competitiveness.
• Transceiver Vendors: Innolight, Eoptolink, etc., actively deploy LPO/CPO but must balance investments with market demand to avoid over-commitment.
• Foundries: TSMC, STMicroelectronics, etc., expand silicon photonics capacity to enable CPO mass production.

IV. Conclusion

The emergence of LPO and CPO marks a pivotal shift from “pluggable-dominated” to “integrated-evolving” optical interconnects. LPO’s low power and ease of deployment make it a mid-term mainstream choice, while CPO’s extreme performance represents the long-term direction. Their competition will drive data center architectures toward greater efficiency and intelligence, offering opportunities and challenges for silicon photonics, advanced packaging, and other underlying technologies. In the future, synergistic development across multiple technological paths will become the norm, with standardization and ecosystem collaboration determining the pace of technology adoption.

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In this era of rapid digital transformation, high-speed, stable, and cost-effective network transmission solutions have become pivotal in driving business growth for enterprises. We understand your needs for enhancing network bandwidth, reducing operational costs, and achieving rapid business deployment. Therefore, we are delighted to introduce two leading 100G DWDM products, along with our cost-effective wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) subsystem solution, aiming to bring an unprecedented upgrade experience to your network architecture.

100G QSFP28 PSM DWDM4 – C-BAND
The Powerhouse for Long-Distance Transmission

Technical Highlights: The 100G QSFP28 PSM DWDM4 – C-BAND employs a four-carrier Color ZR+ C-BAND design. It features 4x25G C-band 100GHz DWDM EML lasers at the transmitter and efficient PIN detectors at the receiver. With support from DCM dispersion compensation and EDFA amplification, it ensures a transmission distance of at least 80km. The MPO-12 interface design simplifies fiber connections, and the total power consumption is below 5W, making it both environmentally friendly and efficient.

Application Scenarios: Ideal for long-distance transmission needs such as 100G Ethernet metropolitan access and point-to-point access networks, providing stable and reliable data transmission channels for operators and enterprises.

One-Stop Solution: Paired with GIGALIGHT’s self-developed intelligent 1U optical layer equipment, including DWDM EDFA, AAWG, and tunable TDM or fixed DCM, it offers customers a complete non-coherent DWDM transmission solution from optical transceivers to optical layer equipment, accelerating business deployment.

100G QSFP28 DWDM1 O-BAND
The Cost-Effective Choice for Short-Distance Transmission

Technical Highlights: The 100G QSFP28 DWDM1 O-BAND silicon photonics module adopts PAM4 modulation mode, supporting a full range of 16 wavelengths covering the O-Band DWDM with a 200GHz wavelength spacing. The O-Band’s natural low-dispersion characteristics reduce signal distortion, eliminating the need for additional dispersion compensation. With a power consumption below 3.5W, it is 20% lower than similar products, contributing to green data center construction.

Application Scenarios: Widely used in medium-to-short-distance transmission scenarios such as metropolitan access and aggregation networks, inter-data center interconnectivity (DCI), and 5G front-haul, providing cost-effective solutions for 5G networks, enterprise private lines, and distributed computing power.

Flexible Adaptability: Decoupled from white-box equipment, it enhances network deployment flexibility and meets customers’ needs for open optical networks.

10km interconnectivity without SOA amplifier

30km interconnectivity with SOA amplifier

Metropolitan access and aggregation applications (30km with SOA)

Cost-Effective WDM Subsystem Solution: The Ultimate Pursuit of Cost Efficiency
GIGALIGHT’s cost-effective WDM subsystem solution focuses on the application of non-coherent DWDM technology, achieving short-distance, high-capacity transmission by simplifying the optical layer design and reducing costs. This solution is particularly suitable for scenarios that are cost-sensitive and have low requirements for transmission distance, such as DCI, 5G, and enterprise private networks.

Core Advantages:

• Cost Efficiency: Hardware costs can be reduced by 30%~50% compared to coherent DWDM solutions, along with reduced deployment and maintenance costs.
• Short-Distance High-Speed Transmission: Leveraging advanced modulation technologies like PAM4, it achieves single-wavelength 100G~400G short-distance transmission, meeting high-speed data transmission needs.
• Simplified Operations and Maintenance: Reduces reliance on complex optical layer management, enhancing system reliability and lowering operational difficulty.
• Green Communication: Low-power design aligns with the trend of low-carbon communication, contributing to the realization of “dual carbon” goals.

GIGALIGHT believes that by introducing our 100G DWDM products and cost-effective WDM subsystem solution, you will significantly enhance network performance, reduce operational costs, and accelerate business innovation. We look forward to collaborating with you to explore new paths for network upgrades and jointly creating a brilliant future in the digital era.

Please feel free to contact us for more product details and customized solutions. We anticipate in-depth exchanges and collaborations with you!

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May 23, 2025, Shenzhen, China. – GIGALIGHT will showcase a variety of innovative incoherent and coherent DWDM solutions at CommunicAsia 2025 in Singapore (May 27 – 29, Booth No. 3E2-5), demonstrating the latest breakthroughs in the field of high-speed, low-power, low-cost, and long-distance optical transmission.

GIGALIGHT Makes Its Appearance at CommunicAsia 2025, Displaying Illustrations of Economical Optical Transmission Solutions for Incoherent and Coherent DWDM

Highlighted Products Preview

Incoherent COLOR ZR+ 100G DWDM Solution: GIGALIGHT’s four-carrier Color ZR+ C-BAND 100G QSFP28 PSM DWDM4 optical transceiver adopts an MPO-12 interface. When paired with an external wavelength division multiplexer and under the amplification of DCM dispersion compensation and EDFA, it can easily achieve over 80km transmission. With a total power consumption of less than 5W, it offers a dual-fiber transmission bandwidth of up to 1200G and a single-fiber bandwidth of 400G. It eliminates the need for traditional DWDM equipment, enabling worry-free rapid deployment.

Incoherent COLOR X O-band DWDM Solution: Based on the O-Band, this 100G QSFP28 DWDM1 optical transceiver covers 16 bands with a 200Ghz frequency interval, specifically designed for short-distance, low-cost DWDM applications. It employs PAM4 modulation technology, delivering a single-channel rate of 100Gbps and being compatible with both IEEE and ITU standards. With a power consumption of only 3.5W, it is an ideal choice for green data centers and medium-to-short-distance DCI.

Coherent 400G DWDM Solution: A newly upgraded 2U DCI system with full network management capabilities, supporting a transmission capacity of 6.4T. Its open network management platform enables comprehensive automated operation and maintenance. With a modular design, it is compatible with both 1U and 2U chassis, featuring excellent heat dissipation and power redundancy. It is suitable for data center interconnectivity and backbone wavelength division transmission, creating a flexible and scalable transmission platform.

As a pioneer in open optical network devices, GIGALIGHT places equal emphasis on technological innovation and green efficiency. It is committed to providing global customers with smarter and more environmentally friendly optical communication products and services.

We sincerely invite global customers to visit Booth 3E2-5 to explore the cutting-edge technologies of DWDM and embark on a new chapter of economical network infrastructure!

About GIGALIGHT

As an open optical networking explorer, Gigalight integrates the design, manufacturing, and sales of both active and passive optical devices and subsystems. The company’s product portfolio includes optical modules, silicon photonics modules, liquid-cooled modules, passive optical components, active optical cables, direct attach copper cables, coherent optical communication modules, and OPEN DCI BOX subsystems. Gigalight focuses on serving applications such as data centers, 5G transport networks, metropolitan WDM transmission, ultra-HD broadcast and video, and more. It stands as an innovative designer of high-speed optical interconnect hardware solutions.

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May 21, 2025, Shenzhen, China. – GIGALIGHT has officially launched its brand-new low-latency optical transceiver series, which brings nanosecond-level value to customers. This series precisely meets the urgent demands for ultra-low latency and high reliability in data centers and high-performance computing scenarios. By optimizing optical performance and signal processing technologies, these products achieve an extremely low bit error rate (BER) without the need for Forward Error Correction (FEC), significantly reducing link transmission delays. As a result, they offer crucial performance advantages in scenarios such as financial trading, AI training, and real-time data analysis.

Core Advantage: Eliminating FEC to Reduce Hundreds of Nanoseconds of Delay

Traditional 25G/100G optical transceivers rely on FEC to ensure link reliability. However, FEC processing introduces additional latency, which can be as high as 250ns. Through innovative design, GIGALIGHT’s low-latency optical transceivers can maintain a BER below 1E-12 (with a typical value of <1E-15) even when FEC is disabled. This directly eliminates the FEC processing step, saving up to 250ns of delay per link.

Product Features and Measured Performance

Below are some representative products from the series along with their test data:

Key Features

• FEC-Disabled Switch Compatibility: The pre-FEC bit error rate (BER on Pre-FEC) meets the requirement of being less than 1E-12, fulfilling the need for systems to disable FEC and reduce latency.
• High-Temperature Stability: All products in the series have passed rigorous 30-minute tests at 70°C, ensuring reliability under extreme operating conditions.

Application Scenarios and Interoperability

• Ultra-Low-Latency Scenarios: Suitable for latency-sensitive fields such as high-frequency trading and distributed databases. Maximum performance can be achieved in FEC-disabled mode.

Supported Platforms

GIGALIGHT’s low-latency optical transceivers have obtained compatibility certifications for mainstream switch platforms, including:

• 25G SFP Ports: Ideal for high-performance Top-of-Rack (ToR) switches and direct server connections.

• 200G QSFP-DD Ports: Support high-density deployments in the core and Spine layers of data centers.

Technological Upgrades, Empowering the Future

The launch of GIGALIGHT’s low-latency optical transceivers not only builds upon its technological expertise in the optical communications field but also provides critical infrastructure for next-generation network architectures through its “zero-FEC latency” design. In the future, GIGALIGHT will continue to optimize product performance, facilitating a smooth evolution from 25G to 200G and assisting customers in building efficient and agile intelligent networks.

About GIGALIGHT

As an open optical networking explorer, Gigalight integrates the design, manufacturing, and sales of both active and passive optical devices and subsystems. The company’s product portfolio includes optical modules, silicon photonics modules, liquid-cooled modules, passive optical components, active optical cables, direct attach copper cables, coherent optical communication modules, and OPEN DCI BOX subsystems. Gigalight focuses on serving applications such as data centers, 5G transport networks, metropolitan WDM transmission, ultra-HD broadcast and video, and more. It stands as an innovative designer of high-speed optical interconnect hardware solutions.

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