In data centers, pluggable optical transceivers are a key technology for moving the massive amounts of data used by AI. They convert electronic bits into photons, send them racing through fiber, and then convert them back into data on the other side.

However, as AI workloads spill out of single data centers, pluggable optics are also playing another role: moving data between data centers, sometimes across distances of more than 1,000 kilometers.

Typically based on ZR/ZR+ industry standards, these compact transceivers can connect data centers directly through standard Ethernet switches and routers. That eliminates the need for bulky, expensive external transport equipment. While the latest optical modules can reach 400G and 800G, hyperscalers are pushing for even more bandwidth and security without a huge boost in power consumption.

COLORZ 1600

Marvell Technology is one of the companies pushing the pace with its first ZR/ZR+ pluggable module to reach 1.6T. The COLORZ 1600 data center interconnect is powered by Electra, the company's first 2-nm, 1.6T coherent DSP.

The 1.6T module moves data over the C and L bands, which serve as the backbones of high-capacity fiber communications using dense wavelength-division multiplexing (DWDM). Leveraging the 2-nm DSP, it also significantly reduces power per bit compared to existing solutions in the OSFP form factor. Power efficiency is key for optical transceivers, which consume as much as 10% of the total GPU compute power in an AI data center, according to NVIDIA.

The device is designed to connect data centers located on the same campus (within 20 km) or metro area (within 120 km) at speeds of 1.6T. Supporting full interoperability across OIF, OpenZR+, and OpenROADM modes, Marvell said it can also be used to connect regional data centers as far as 1,000 km apart.

The module also features on-chip media access control security (MACsec) for the first time to help securely scale up data center connectivity, according to the company.

Libra Coherent DSP

Separately, Marvell also introduced Libra, its first 2-nm 800G coherent DSP, which it plans to put into a second-generation 800G ZR/ZR+ module that consumes even less power than its first.

“The size of the pluggable coherent market is massive but increasingly competitive. Maintaining leadership requires power efficiency, critical features, and high-volume manufacturability,” said Scott Wilkinson, lead analyst at Cignal AI.

As the AI boom drives demand for coherent pluggable modules, pluggable optics technology requires deep expertise and the ability to rapidly scale manufacturing.

Said Russ Esmacher, senior vice president and general manager of Data Center Interconnect at Marvell, "Meeting the global needs of AI-driven data centers requires proven, large-scale manufacturing strength, from resource planning to test capacity. We are expanding our pluggable manufacturing capacity to help customers rapidly deploy the latest disruptive technologies to scale their networks.”

He added that “technology leadership is only one part of the equation."