Intel details its 800-gigabit DR8 optical module

The company earmarks 2023 for its first co-packaged optics product

Intel is sampling an 800-gigabit DR8 in an OSFP pluggable optical module, as announced at the recent OFC virtual conference and show.

Robert Blum“It is the first time we have done a pluggable module with 100-gigabit electrical serdes [serialisers/ deserialisers],” says Robert Blum, Intel’s senior director, marketing and new business. “The transition for the industry to 100-gigabit serdes is a big step.”

The 800-gigabit DR8 module has eight electrical 100-gigabit interfaces and eight single-mode 100-gigabit optical channels in each transmission direction.

The attraction of the single-module DR8 design, says Blum, is that it effectively comprises two 400-gigabit DR4 modules. “The optical interface allows you the flexibility that you can break it out into 400-gigabit DR4,” says Blum. “You can also do single 100-gigabit breakouts or you can do 800-gigabit-to-800-gigabit traffic.”

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Intel combines optics to its Tofino 2 switch chip

Part 1: Co-packaged Ethernet switch 

The advent of co-packaged optics has moved a step closer with Intel’s demonstration of a 12.8-terabit Ethernet switch chip with optical input-output (I/O).  

Source: Intel.

The design couples a Barefoot Tofino 2 switch chip to up to 16 optical ‘tiles’ - each tile, a 1.6-terabit silicon photonics die - for a total I/O of 25.6 terabits.

“It’s an easy upgrade to add our next-generation 25.6-terabit [switch chip] which is coming shortly,” says Ed Doe, Intel’s vice president, connectivity group, general manager, Barefoot division. 

Intel acquired switch-chip maker, Barefoot, seven months ago after which it started the co-packaging optics project.

Intel also revealed that it is in the process of qualifying four new optical transceivers - a 400Gbase-DR4, a 200-gigabit FR4, a 100-gigabit FR1 and a 100Gbase-LR4 - to add to its portfolio of 100-gigabit PSM4 and CWDM4 modules.

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Intel targets 5G fronthaul with a 100G CWDM4 module

• Intel announced at ECOC that it is sampling a 10km extended temperature range 100-gigabit CWDM4 optical module for 5G fronthaul. 

• Another announced pluggable module pursued by Intel is the 400 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) parallel fibre DR4 standard.

• Intel, a backer of the CWDM8 MSA, says the 8-wavelength 400-gigabit module will not be in production before 2020.

Intel has expanded its portfolio of silicon photonics-based optical modules to address 5G mobile fronthaul and 400GbE.

Robert BlumAt the European Conference on Optical Communication (ECOC) being held in Rome this week, Intel announced it is sampling a 100-gigabit CWDM4 module in a QSFP form factor for wireless fronthaul applications.

The CWDM4 module has an extended temperature range, -20°C to +85°C, and a 10km reach.

“The final samples are available now and [the product] will go into production in the first quarter of 2019,” says Robert Blum, director of strategic marketing and business development at Intel’s silicon photonics product division.

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The CWDM8 MSA avoids PAM-4 to fast-track 400G

Another multi-source agreement (MSA) group has been created to speed up the market introduction of 400-gigabit client-side optical interfaces.

The CWDM8 MSA is described by its founding members as a pragmatic approach to provide 400-gigabit modules in time for the emergence of next-generation switches next year. The CWDM8 MSA was announced at the ECOC show held in Gothenburg last week.

Robert BlumThe eight-wavelength coarse wavelength-division multiplexing (CWDM) MSA is being promoted as a low-cost alternative to the IEEE 803.3bs 400 Gigabit Ethernet Task Force’s 400-gigabit eight-wavelength specifications, and less risky than the newly launched 100G Lambda MSA specifications based on four 100-gigabit wavelengths for 400 gigabit.

“The 100G Lambda has merits and we are also part of that MSA,” says Robert Blum, director of strategic marketing and business development at Intel’s silicon photonics product division. “We just feel the time to get to 100-gigabit-per-lambda is really when you get to 800 Gigabit Ethernet.”

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Oclaro demonstrates flexible rate coherent pluggable module

• The CFP2 coherent optical module operates at 100 and 200 Gig
• Samples are already with customers, with general availability in the first half of 2015
• Oclaro to also make more CFP2 100GBASE-LR4 products

The CFP2 is not just used in metro/ regional networks but also in long-haul applications

Robert Blum

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ECOC 2012 summary - Part 1: Oclaro

Gazettabyte completes its summary of key optical announcements at the recent ECOC show held in Amsterdam. Oclaro's announcements detailed here are followed by those of Finisar and NeoPhotonics.

Part 1: Oclaro

 

"Networks are getting more complex and you need automation so that they are more foolproof and more efficient operationally"

Per Hansen, Oclaro

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Huawei's novel Petabit switch

The Chinese equipment maker showcased a prototype optical switch at this year's OFC/NFOEC that can scale to 10 Petabit. 

"Although the numbers [400,000 lasers] appear quite staggering, they point to a need for photonic integration"

Reg Wilcox, Huawei

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