REDMOND, Wash. and MENLO PARK, Calif., March 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Datacenter
architectures are growing at a rapid rate, and switch designs are
evolving to support greater networking demands. Technical
challenges associated with these demands have the potential to
impact the adoption of future technologies if left unaddressed.
Co-packaging optics and ASICs have the potential to address these
challenges by reducing the length of the switch-optic
interconnects, thus lowering the power consumption of the
switch-optic electrical I/O.
To address these and other technical challenges, Microsoft Corp.
and Facebook Inc. are announcing the formation of the Co-Packaged
Optics (CPO) Collaboration. The goal of CPO is the adoption of
common design elements that will provide guidance for suppliers in
the design and manufacturing of co-packaged optics. CPO's intention
over time is to enable an open and diverse ecosystem.
The collaboration intends to provide open specifications for
design elements, including the electrical signaling interface,
optical standard, optical module management interface and
reliability requirements. When complete, the open specifications
will enable the industry to develop a set of solutions involving
switch and ASIC manufacturers, optics suppliers, CMs and others
that will create the final package which can then be attached to
the switch PCB. The collaboration has targeted the 51T switch
generation as the tipping point for industry adoption of
co-packaged optics.
"The Co-Packaged Optics Collaboration will provide a
customer-driven, system-level view of requirements for co-packaged
optics," said Katharine Schmidtke,
director, Technology Sourcing, Facebook, responsible for the
company's optical technology strategy. "By sharing the
specifications, we aim to develop a diverse and innovative supplier
ecosystem."
"Providing the industry with a customer-supported set of
requirements will create a stable, cooperative environment where
suppliers can address one of the optical industry's most important
technical challenges," said Jeff
Cox, partner director, Network Architecture, Microsoft and
executive director of the CPO Collaboration. "As co-founders of the
Co-Packaged Optics Collaboration, Microsoft and Facebook invite
customers and suppliers to join and collaborate with us."
"Co-packaged optics have been a hot topic in the industry, but
until today there has been a lack of a cohesive end-user voices for
their need," said Sameh Boujelbene, senior director, Dell'Oro
Group. "The CPO Collaboration initiated by Microsoft and Facebook
clearly indicates that the end-user community is ready for the
industry to develop this technology."
The CPO Collaboration will be evaluating and adopting open,
technical solutions submitted by switch and optical suppliers. The
collaboration will be looking for comprehensive proposals covering
the complete solution including packaging.
The CPO Collaboration is a project of the Joint Development
Foundation, an independent nonprofit organization that provides the
corporate and legal infrastructure to enable groups to establish
and operate standards and source code development
collaborations.
Those wanting additional information on the CPO Collaboration
and how to participate should contact
info@copackagedoptics.org.
Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT" @microsoft) enables digital
transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an
intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every
organization on the planet to achieve more.
View original content to download
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/microsoft-and-facebook-announce-formation-of-the-co-packaged-optics-collaboration-under-the-joint-development-foundation-300812628.html
SOURCE Microsoft Corp.