FPGA transceiver speed hikes bring optics to the fore

Despite rapid increases in the transceiver speeds of field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), the transition to optical has begun.

FPGA vendors Xilinx and Altera have increased their on-chip transceiver speeds fourfold since 2005, from 6.5Gbps to 28Gbps. But signal integrity issues and the rapid decline in reach associated with higher speed means optics is becoming a relevant option.

Altera has unveiled a prototype with two 12x10Gbps optical engines but has yet to reveal its product plans. Xilinx believes that FPGA optical interfaces are still several years off with requirements being met with electrical interfaces for now.