Recently, optical communication technology pioneer Acacia Communications launched a revolutionary product lineup—the Kibo 1.6Tbps PAM4 DSP chip and 200G/channel silicon photonic engine based on 3nm process technology, marking the official entry of high-speed optical interconnect technology into the single-wave 200G era.
This solution addresses the stringent demands of AI computing clusters, achieving dual breakthroughs in transmission density and energy efficiency, and is expected to reshape the infrastructure of large-scale data centers.
Technical Breakthrough: 3nm DSP Reshapes Energy Efficiency Benchmark
The new Kibo DSP utilizes TSMC’s advanced 3nm process, reducing power consumption by over 20% compared to existing solutions, and supports a full range of pluggable module configurations including DR4, DR8, and 2xFR4.
Its innovative introduction of a gearbox architecture and Transmission Timing Optical (TRO) technology enhances signal integrity by 30%, with delay fluctuations controlled within ±0.5ps, perfectly matching the extreme transmission requirements of AI accelerators like NVIDIA’s GB200.
The concurrently launched 200G/channel silicon photonic engine integrates transimpedance amplifiers and flexible drive architecture, demonstrating excellent compatibility in DR4/DR8 topologies, with transmission distances exceeding the critical 200-meter mark.
Ecological Development: Cisco Deeply Empowers Silicon Photonics Mass Production
As Acacia’s parent company, Cisco announced comprehensive support for the development and supply chain assurance of this product line.
Benny Mikkelsen, General Manager of Acacia’s Silicon Photonics Division, revealed: “We have achieved a mass production capacity of over one million silicon photonic engines, with single-channel 100G product shipments exceeding one million units in 2023. The 200G solution will leverage Cisco’s global manufacturing network to ensure quarterly production capacity ramps up to 500,000 units.”
Notably, Acacia’s 400G coherent module has been deployed globally with over 25,000 ports, and cumulative shipments of the Greylock DSP chip have surpassed 500,000 units, laying the industrial foundation for the next generation of products.
Market Positioning: A Decade of Innovation Culminating in Breakthroughs
Since launching the world’s first pluggable coherent module in 2014, Acacia has continuously led the iteration of optical interconnect technology.
Vladimir Kozlov, CEO of LightCounting, a leading market research firm in optical communications, commented: “At this turning point of surging bandwidth demand driven by AI, Acacia, with its dual technology barriers of silicon photonics and DSP, is transforming from a long-haul transmission expert to a new leader in data center interconnects.”
It is reported that this solution will be demonstrated in a live network at the 2025 OFC conference, focusing on showcasing its actual performance in Microsoft’s Azure AI cluster.
This technological leap not only continues Acacia’s technological advantages in PAM4 modulation and silicon photonic integration but also pushes energy efficiency per bit to new heights through 3nm technology.
As global AI computing investments enter a hardware upgrade cycle, this innovative company, holding 17 core patents, is accelerating towards the trillion-dollar blue ocean market of data center interconnects with its “silicon photonics + DSP” dual-engine strategy.
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