Revolutionizing Direct Drive Pluggables with Co-Package Optics

Co-packaged optics (CPO) were a hot topic at #OFC23 in San Diego.

In this video, Hamid Abzadeh, Chairman and CEO of Ranovus, discusses the advantages of co-package optics in module applications with direct drive technology. Co-package optics enable a significant reduction in power consumption for pluggable applications, as demonstrated by Ranovus' Odin platform. The co-package optics version of the Odin platform has a power consumption of 5 pico joules per bit (5pJ/bit), including the lasers, which is significantly lower than the re-timed version. This reduction in power consumption makes the technology ideal for AI and machine learning interconnect, which is a scalable function that could be networked through multiple GPUs and CPUs.

Abzadeh also talks about the interoperability and networkability of co-package optics technology. Renovus' Odin platform is integrated with AMD Xilinx and can be interconnected with standard-based modules, as demonstrated by the 800 gig OSFP module from a third party. Furthermore, Ranovus' own module is also interconnected with the third-party module to show the power consumption and differences between the two.

Odin is built using GlobalFoundries' Fotonix monolithic RF/CMOS silicon photonics (SiPh) platform. 

https://youtu.be/UIsa75wUmJY

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Broadcom previews “Bailly” 51.2 Tbps CPO Switch

At the recent OFC23, Broadcom showed a mechanical sample of its upcoming 51.2 Tbps Tomahawk 5 switch with co-packaged optical (CPO) integration. 

Here is Broadcom’s Manish Mehta showing the “Bailly” mock-up.

Broadcom begins volume shipment of 51.2 T Tomahawk 5

Wednesday, March 15, 2023    

Broadcom has begun volume shipments of its Tomahawk 5 family of Ethernet switch/router chips.Tomahawk 5 offers 51.2 Tbps of switching capacity, twice that of any other switch on the market. The high radix of Tomahawk 5 enables single-hop connectivity between 256 high-performance AI/ML accelerators, each having 200Gbps of network bandwidth. Broadcom says Tomahawk 5’s advanced Cognitive Routing ensures high network utilization even under the most...

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Marvell’s 200 Gbps/lambda DSP can power 1.6 Tbps pluggables

 Marvell has begun sampling its Nova 1.6 Tbps PAM4 electro-optics platform.

Marvell’s Nova is powered by a 200 Gbps/lambda optical DSP capable of enabling 1.6 Tbps pluggable modules in the OSFP-XD form factor.  Key features of the Nova electro-optics platform include a 200 Gbps per channel line side transmitter interface supporting a wide range of high-speed lasers.

At OFC23, Marvell’s Xi Wang shares some insights.

https://youtu.be/_NbkiE5eCXA

Marvell’s Nova is powered by a 200 Gbps/lambda optical DSP capable of enabling 1.6 Tbps pluggable modules in the OSFP-XD form factor.  Key features of the Nova electro-optics platform include:

• 200 Gbps per channel line side transmitter interface supporting a wide range of high-speed lasers
• 200 Gbps per channel line-side receiver with companion Marvell 112-Gbaud TIAs, providing best-in-class linearity and low noise 
• Integrated laser drivers, optimizing power dissipation
• Latency-optimized FEC for 200 Gbps traffic

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Starlink launches global roaming service

SpaceX's Starlink division has begun offering an unlimited global roaming option for $200 per month.  Antennas are specific for stationary or in-motion vehicles.

It can be ordered in any country where Starlink is available on the Starlink Availability Map.

https://www.starlink.com/map

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Dell'Oro: SSE revenue rockets 38% in 2022

 The worldwide Security Service Edge (SSE) market grew by nearly $1 B in 2022, representing 38 percent growth as enterprise embrace cloud-delivered network security to secure cloud-based applications and user’s access to those applications, according to a new report from Dell'Oro Group

“The pandemic fueled the need for cloud-based applications as employees shifted from working in the office to working anywhere. As employees return to the office, whether full-time or in a hybrid arrangement, cloud-based applications are here to stay and require solutions like SSE to secure,” said Mauricio Sanchez, Research Director, Network Security, and SASE & SD-WAN at Dell’Oro Group. “SSEs are combining multiple security capabilities, such as CASB, firewall, SWG, and ZTNA, into an integrated platform that can protect all aspects of cloud applications,” added Sanchez.

Additional highlights from the 4Q 2022 Network Security Quarterly Report:

• SSE market is crowded with over 20 vendors.
• Top 3 SSE vendors owned 58 percent of the market by revenue in 2022 and were Cisco, Broadcom/Symantec, and Zscaler (in alphabetical order).
• Firewall 2022 revenue exceeded $12 B for the first time on solid double-digit growth.
• Top 3 firewall vendors by revenue in 2022 were Cisco, Fortinet, and Palo Alto Networks (in alphabetical order).

https://www.delloro.com/news/enterprises-cant-get-enough-sse-as-revenue-rockets-38-percent-in-2022/

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SES launches 2 more C-band satellites for U.S. market aboard SpaceX

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched the SES-18 and SES-19 satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Friday, March 17.

The two American-made satellites are the fourth and fifth – and final – satellites to be launched as part of SES’s C-band transition plan, following the launch of SES-22 in June 2022 and the tandem launch of SES-20 and SES-21 in October 2022. 

SES said these satellites are part of its plan to clear C-band spectrum to enable wireless operators to deploy 5G services across the contiguous U.S. (CONUS) while ensuring that SES’s existing customers continue to enjoy uninterrupted TV, radio, and critical data transmission services.  Since 2020, SES, along with other satellite operators, has been clearing 300 MHz of C-band spectrum and transitioning customer services to the remaining allocated 200 MHz of spectrum by launching new satellites, building new ground stations and sending hundreds of satellite earth station technicians across the country to install new filters on customers’ antennas.

SES-18 is expected to begin operations in June 2023 at 103 degrees West replacing SES-3 C-band payload and SES-19 will be co-located with SES-22 at 135 degrees West.

“This successful launch marks one of the last remaining milestones on our journey to clear a portion of the C-band, and we are incredibly grateful to Northrop Grumman, SpaceX, and all of our partners who helped make this plan a reality,” said Steve Collar, CEO of SES. “We are now on the home stretch in protecting our customers’ broadcasts while freeing crucial 5G spectrum and we look forward to successfully concluding our work well before the FCC’s December 2023 accelerated clearing deadline.”

https://www.ses.com/newsroom/c-band-satellites-us-delivering-tv-and-data-transmissions-services-millions-americans

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