Thursday, March 9, 2023

Credo and EFFECT Photonics team up on coherent DSPs

Credo is working with EFFECT Photonics on coherent Digital Signal Processor (DSP) merchant ICs.

The two companies will work together to develop new coherent DSP products featuring EFFECT Photonics’ coherent DSP technology and Forward Error Correction (FEC), combined with Credo’s high-speed SerDes, I/Os, Analog to Digital Converters (ADCs), and Digital to Analog Converters (DACs). 

Credo will manufacture and manage the sales and supply channels of the co-developed merchant ICs, and provide complete design services and customer support.

The first products will target 100G ZR and 100G ZR+ applications. The products will work within the popular QSFP28 optical module’s ultralow 5W power envelope and extend network reach well beyond 80km to support advanced application requirements. These products will target new buildouts and the imminent 10G upgrade cycle to 100G for service providers, 5G telecom and fixed-access operators.

“Coherent technologies are gaining importance as they improve spectral efficiency and increase data throughput. Historically, coherent solutions have been mostly deployed for very long distances due to their high power and high cost,” said Scott Feller, Vice President of Marketing at Credo. “Our first collaboration with EFFECT Photonics will allow us to deliver capabilities that fit into the power envelopes of the most commonly used transceivers at a competitive price, providing our large volume customers with a refined solution that will seamlessly integrate into their existing access and edge infrastructure to address the dramatic bandwidth growth at the network edge.”

Highlights

  • Optimized ZR and ZR+ solutions cover 40 to 500km links.
  • Energy-efficiency with ultralow power consumption.
  • Devices will be rated for both commercial and industrial temperature operating ranges.
  • Compliant with industry standards.
  • Credo’s high-speed data converters, SerDes and I/Os, are optimized for performance and energy efficiency.
  • EFFECT Photonics’ best-in-class, field-proven coherent DSP and FEC technology (gained through the company’s acquisition agreement with Viasat).
  • Credo will be the sole supplier of the merchant ICs, working with its foundry partners to provide dependable supply chain fulfilment with competitive lead times.
  • Credo’s DSP expertise leverages its N-1 process technology advantage to deliver the most cost-effective coherent DSPs in the market.