Microchip and Acacia Collaborate for Terabit-Scale Data Center Interconnect

The demand for higher bandwidths between data centers continues to grow rapidly, driven by the ever-increasing volume of traffic and the adoption of the latest data center architectures. To address this challenge, system developers are focusing on streamlining the development of a new generation of 1.2 Tbps (1.2T) transport systems that can cater to a wide range of client configurations. This necessitates the seamless interoperability of terabit-scale Ethernet PHY devices and coherent optical modules in Data Center Interconnect (DCI) and metro transport networks.

The recent partnership between Microchip and Acacia is a significant step towards achieving this goal. By developing two interoperable devices, they are paving the way for low-power, bandwidth-optimized, and scalable solutions for pluggable optics in DCI and transport networks. These devices offer three key benefits, enabling the creation of high-capacity, multi-rate muxponders for optical transport platforms.

According to Maher Fahmi, vice president for Microchip’s communications business unit, “This interoperability extends a long-established partnership with Acacia to help accelerate and optimize the build-out of cloud computing and AI-ready optical networks while reducing development risk for our customers.” He further highlighted the unique capabilities of their META-DX2 product, which integrates 1.6T of encryption, port aggregation, and Lambda Splitting into a compact 112G PAM4 device, making it the first of its kind in the market.

Markus Weber, senior director DSP product line management of Acacia, also expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration, stating, “With Acacia’s CIM 8 coherent modules verified to interoperate with Microchip’s META-DX2 devices, we see this as a robust solution that reduces system time-to-market.” He emphasized the compact size and power efficiency of their CIM 8 coherent modules, designed to assist network operators in deploying and scaling the capacity of high-bandwidth DWDM connectivity between data centers and throughout transport networks.

In conclusion, the partnership between Microchip and Acacia represents a significant advancement in enhancing data center interconnectivity through innovative solutions. By combining their expertise and technologies, they are not only addressing the current challenges of high-bandwidth requirements but also paving the way for future advancements in optical networking. This collaboration is poised to benefit network operators, system developers, and end-users by enabling faster, more efficient, and scalable data center connectivity solutions.