Now sampling to customers, Luxtera’s 100G-PSM4 silicon photonics chipset and QSFP optical transceiver module provides enhanced performance

CARLSBAD, Calif. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — March 23, 2015 — Luxtera, the global innovation leader in Silicon Photonics solutions, today announces immediate availability of its 100G-PSM4 compliant chipset and QSFP optical module at OFC 2015. The LUX22604 100G-PSM4 silicon photonics chipset and LUX42604 QSFP optical module offer customers superior performance, reliability, and price that makes them the ideal 100Gb solution for cloud computing/hyperscale, financial services, and high performance computing (HPC) datacenter applications requiring up to 2km of reach.

The requirement for cost-effective 100Gb Single Mode Optics has become crucial to building the next generation of datacenters. In particular, the major hyperscale “cloud” datacenters are planning to adopt 100Gb at scale starting in 2015. Due to the large physical size of these datacenters, they require fiber optic links of up to 2km in significant volumes. At 100Gbps data rates, these reach requirements can no longer be serviced by traditional short-reach multimode optical solutions. More than 80 percent of the cost of deploying these large scale networks is in the optical link, and finding a solution is critical to scaling these datacenters to 100Gb and beyond.

Similarly, enterprise applications such as financial services and HPC datacenters require 100Gbps data rates, but in combination with very low latency. Traditional short-reach multimode optics cannot meet this requirement, as those require complex algorithms such as forward error correction (FEC) that make up for poor signal quality by trading off latency. The superior performance of Luxtera’s Silicon Photonics PSM4 solution allows for error-free operation without FEC, enabling key latency benefits over alternative copper wire and multimode fiber solutions.

Beginning with 100G, these key markets will transition from copper and legacy multimode fiber to single mode fiber at volume scale. Finding low cost single mode products has become an imperative and Luxtera is uniquely positioned to satisfy this requirement.

“In 2015, hyperscale data centers are undergoing a tectonic shift as the industry moves to 100Gb, and single mode photonics replace copper to become the mainstream interconnect. Luxtera is at the forefront of this transition with the only optical transceiver technology that can deliver 100Gb speeds with up to 2km of reach at the aggressive cost points needed for these high volume deployments. Today we are introducing our first Hybrid Silicon Photonics architecture products including the industry’s first 1310nm 100G-PSM4 MSA compliant QSFP28+ pluggable module and a fully integrated SiP PSM4 chipset,” said Greg Young, President and CEO of Luxtera. “Luxtera pioneered the field of Silicon Photonics starting in 2001 and has been in continuous production since the original introduction of 40Gb SiP AOCs in 2008. With these new products we are addressing connectivity needs of hyperscale/cloud and enterprise datacenters with standard compliant products. We look forward to moving further into these core markets by delivering additional high performance single mode fiber solutions."

LUX42604 Key Features

• 100Gb optical transceiver
• QSFP28 compliant module form-factor
• Four 4 x 26 Gbps independently operating channels, full-duplex operation
• Multirate: 1 – 25.78 Gbps (per channel)
• FEC not required for error free operation but also supports Clause 74 and 91 FEC
• 1310nm PSM4 MSA compliant – as described by www.psm4.org.
• Proven Light Source and Packaging Technology
• Extended Reach Up to 2000 Meters
• Less than 3.5W worst case power

Availability

The LUX42604 100G-PSM4 QSFP optical transceiver module is sampling now to select customers, with volume production expected to begin in the second half of 2015.

The LUX22604 100G-PSM4 Silicon Photonics chipset is sampling to potential packaging and optical module partners.

Luxtera will be exhibiting at OFC 2015 in LA on March 24-26, 2015 at the Los Angeles Convention Center at booth #1868. NDA required for access.

Industry Quotes

Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs):

Luca Cafiero, Senior Vice President and General Manager SVS, Cisco

“Cisco is always looking for the best possible optics for use in its systems, and silicon photonics has long been seen as a critical element for 100G data center systems,” said Luca Cafiero, Sr. VP GM SVS, Cisco. “Luxtera’s 100G-PSM4 products complement Cisco’s focus on delivering high density 100G data center solutions offering truly disruptive opportunities for our large scale cloud customers.”