OFC 2025, held in San Francisco, confirmed that the optical communications industry is already looking beyond 800G—even as 800G deployments are still scaling.
Headline developments:
• 1.6T OSFP-XD prototypes: Multiple vendors demonstrated 1.6T optical modules in the OSFP-XD form factor (8 × 200G electrical lanes). While commercial availability is targeted for 2026–2027, the technology demonstrations showed impressive signal integrity at 200 Gbps per lane.
• CPO (Co-Packaged Optics) advances: Several companies presented CPO implementations where optical engines are integrated alongside switch ASICs on the same substrate, achieving terabit-scale I/O bandwidth with minimal power overhead.
• 800G LPO products: After two years of debate, LPO has found its market. Several vendors announced commercial 800G LPO modules targeting short-reach AI fabric interconnects (≤100m), offering 25% lower power consumption compared to DSP-based alternatives.
• Coherent 800G ZR: The 800G ZR coherent pluggable specification neared completion, with early prototypes demonstrating 800G transmission over 80+ km of fiber.
SZVAN's presence at OFC 2025 was focused on three priorities: evaluating the 1.6T technology landscape for our R&D roadmap, assessing LPO market readiness for potential product development, and strengthening our position in the 800G ZR coherent module segment for Open DWDM DCI applications.
