Over the past decade, the capacity of data center Ethernet switches has skyrocketed from 0.64 Tbps to 25.6 Tbps, driven by the adoption of 64×400 Gbps or 32×800 Gbps pluggable optical transceiver modules. However, these high-speed modules present significant challenges within the current form factor. For example, the required density of electrical and optical connectors, as well as the rising power consumption.
In the rapid development of optical communication technology, co-packaged optics (CPO), as a revolutionary technology, is gradually becoming an important force to promote the progress of the industry. By tightly integrating network switching chips and optical modules in the same package, CPO technology achieves unprecedented efficient connectivity and performance improvement, injecting new vitality into the development of data centers, cloud computing, artificial intelligence and other fields.
Co-packaging optics is a new type of optical packaging technology, the core of which is to assemble network switching chips and optical modules on the same socketed to realize the co-packaging of chips and modules. This technology is designed to reduce power consumption, improve transmission efficiency, and optimize cost structure by shortening the distance between chips and modules.
At the heart of CPO technology is its efficient integration. By tightly coupling the optics with the switching ASIC chip, the CPO significantly shortens the distance over which the signal is transmitted, reduces power consumption, and improves overall system performance. This technological innovation not only solves the problems of signal attenuation and power consumption of traditional optical modules, but also provides more efficient and reliable data transmission solutions for application scenarios such as data centers.
In addition, CPO technology has also promoted the development of optoelectronic hybrid packaging technology. The optoelectronic hybrid package integrates optical devices and electronic devices in the same package, realizing the rapid conversion and transmission of optical signals and electrical signals. This integration method not only improves the integration of the system, but also reduces the cost, laying the foundation for the popularization and wide application of optical communication equipment.
Figure: CMOS silicon photonic chip (Source: Gigalight)
With the rapid development of cloud computing, big data, artificial intelligence, and other technologies, data centers have higher and higher requirements for bandwidth and latency. With its unique advantages, CPO technology is gradually becoming the new favorite of the data center optical communication market. According to market research institutions, shipments of CPO technology are expected to start with 800G and 1.6T ports, and achieve large-scale commercial and mass production in the next few years.
At the same time, the CPO industry chain is also constantly improving and growing. Suppliers of optical devices, optical chips, and optical engines in the upstream supply chain are continuously increasing R&D investment to improve product quality and performance. CPO module manufacturing and packaging and testing companies in the midstream manufacturing process are also actively expanding the market and strengthening cooperation with downstream application fields. The growing demand for CPO technology in industries such as cloud computing, data center, 5G communication, and artificial intelligence in downstream application fields has provided a strong impetus for the rapid development of the CPO market.
Looking ahead, CPO technology is expected to continue to evolve and lead the way in the field of optical communications. With the continuous maturity of technology and the continuous growth of market demand, CPO technology will continue to be optimized and improved. On the one hand, CPO technology will further improve its integration and performance to meet the needs of higher bandwidth and lower latency applications. On the other hand, CPO technology will also strengthen the integration and innovation with other advanced technologies, such as combining with silicon photonics technology and quantum communication technology to promote the overall progress and development of optical communication technology.
In addition, with the acceleration of the global digitalization process and the implementation of policies such as "new infrastructure", the construction and upgrading of infrastructure such as data centers will become an important development direction. This will provide a broader market space and application scenarios for CPO technology. It is expected that in the next few years, CPO technology will be widely used and promoted in the fields of data center, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, etc., and gradually become one of the mainstream technologies in the optical communication market.
