Microsoft & Facebook Collaborates for the Formation of the Co-Packaged Optics Collaboration

Microsoft and Facebook are collaborating to bring-in Co-Packaged Optics (CPO) which will be focused on specifications for packaged integration of network-switching ASICs and optics. Co-packaging optics and ASICs have the potential to address the technical challenges by reducing the length of the switch-optic interconnects, thus lowering the power consumption of the switch-optic electrical I/O. The collaboration has targeted the 51T switch generation as the tipping point for industry adoption of co-packaged optics.

Katharine Schmidtke, Director – Technical Sourcing, Facebook, comments, “The Co-Packaged Optics Collaboration will provide a customer-driven, system-level view of requirements for co-packaged optics. By sharing the specifications, we aim to develop a diverse and innovative supplier ecosystem”.

CPO collaboration is a project of the Joint Development Foundation, an independent non-profit organization that offers the corporate and legal infrastructure to enable groups to establish and operate standards and source code development collaborations. It will evaluate and adopt open, technical solutions submitted by switch and optical suppliers.

"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. As co-founders of the Co-Packaged Optics Collaboration, Microsoft and Facebook invite customers and suppliers to join and collaborate with us”, comments, Jeff Cox, Partner Director, Network Architecture, Microsoft & Executive Director, CPO Collaboration.

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