Marvell plans for CXL's introduction in the data centre

The open interconnect Compute Express Link (CXL) standard promises to change how data centre computing is architected.

CXL enables the rearrangement of processors (CPUs), accelerator chips, and memory within computer servers to boost efficiency.

Thad Omura

"CXL is such an important technology that is in high focus today by all the major cloud hyperscalers and system OEMs," says Thad Omura, vice president of flash marketing at Marvell. 

Semiconductor firm Marvell has strengthened its CXL expertise by acquiring Tanzanite Silicon Solutions. 

Tanzanite was the first company to show two CPUs sharing common memory using a CXL 2.0 controller implemented using a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). 

Marvell intends to use CXL across its portfolio of products.

Terms of the deal for the 40-staff Tanzanite acquisition have not been disclosed. 

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Marvell's first Inphi chips following its acquisition

Marvell unveiled three new devices at the recent OFC virtual conference and show.

One chip is its latest coherent digital signal processor (DSP), dubbed Deneb.

Nigel AlvaresThe other two chips, for use within the data centre, are a PAM-4 (4-level pulse-amplitude modulation) DSP, and a 1.6-terabit Ethernet physical layer device (PHY).

The chips are Marvell’s first announced Inphi products since it acquired the company in April.

Inphi’s acquisition adds $0.7 billion to Marvell’s $3 billion annual revenues while the more than 1,000 staff brings the total number of employees to 6,000.

Marvell spends 30 per cent of its revenues on R&D.

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Telecoms embraces 400ZR optics for IP-over-DWDM

Verizon Media has trialled 400-gigabit coherent pluggable optics to improve the delivery of video content to subscribers.

Tomas Maj

Verizon Media added a 400ZR QSFP-DD module from Inphi to a switch already using 100-gigabit optics to upgrade its content delivery network.

Adding dense wavelength-division multiplexing (DWDM) optics to a switch enables it to send IP traffic (IP-over-DWDM) directly without needing a separate DWDM data centre interconnect box and additional client-side optics to link the two platforms (see diagram).

“Verizon Media, showing leadership outside the hyperscalers, is moving to IP-over-DWDM,” says Tomas Maj, senior director, marketing, optical interconnect at Inphi. “It shows the maturity of the ecosystem and the confidence of more and more operators in IP-over-DWDM and 400ZR.”

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Inphi unveils first 800-gigabit PAM-4 signal processing chip

Inphi has detailed what it claims is the industry’s first digital signal processor (DSP) chip family for 800-gigabit client-side pluggable modules. 

Dubbed Spica, the 4-level pulse-amplitude modulation (PAM-4) DSP family is sampling and is in the hands of customers.

Source: Inphi

The physical-layer company has also announced its third-generation Porrima family of PAM-4 DSPs for 400-gigabit pluggables. 

The Porrima DSP with integrated laser driver has being made using a 7nm CMOS process; until now a 16nm CMOS has been used. Fabricating the chip using the more advanced process will reduce the power consumption of 400-gigabit module designs. 

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The era of 400G coherent pluggables finally emerges

Part 1: 7nm coherent DSPs, ZR and ZR+

The era of 400-gigabit coherent pluggable modules has moved a step closer with Inphi’s announcement of its Canopus coherent digital signal processor (DSP) and its QSFP-DD ColorZ II optical module. 

NeoPhotonics has also entered the fray, delivering first samples of its 400-gigabit ClearLight CFP2-DCO module that uses the Canopus DSP.

Pranay AiyaThe ColorZ II and ClearLight modules support the 400ZR OIF standard used to link data centres up to 120km apart. They also support extended modes, known as ZR+, that is not standardised.

ZR+’s modes include 400 Gigabit-per-second (Gbps) over distances greater than 400ZR's 120km and lower data rates over metro-regional and long-haul distances.    

The announcements of the Canopus DSP and 400-gigabit pluggable coherent modules highlight the approaches being taken for ZR+. Optical module vendors are aligning around particular merchant DSPs such that interoperability exists but only within each camp.  

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Open Eye MSA offers an alternative to PAM-4 DSPs

A group of companies, led by Macom and Semtech, have launched a multi-source agreement (MSA) to offer an alternative to using a digital signal processor (DSP) in high-speed client-side optical modules. 

The Open Eye MSA is developing a set of specifications for optical modules that use 50-gigabit 4-level pulse-amplitude modulation (PAM-4) signals whereby only analogue clock and data recovery (CDR) circuitry is required at the receiver.  

By using the CDR instead of a PAM-4 DSP, the optical module will consume less power, have lower latency and be less costly to make, says the MSA.

To ensure interoperability, however, module makers using a PAM-4 DSP will need to meet the new MSA specification. 

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Data centre interconnect drives coherent

• NeoPhotonics announced at OFC a high-speed modulator and intradyne coherent receiver (ICR) that support an 800-gigabit wavelength

• It also announced limited availability of its nano integrable tunable laser assembly (nano-ITLA)  and demonstrated its pico-ITLA, an even more compact silicon photonics-based laser assembly

• The company also showcased a CFP2-DCO pluggable

NeoPhotonics unveiled several coherent optical transmission technologies at the OFC conference and exhibition held in San Diego last month.

Ferris Lipscomb“There are two [industry] thrusts going on right now: 400ZR and data centre interconnect pizza boxes going to even higher gigabits per wavelengths,” says Ferris Lipscomb, vice president of marketing at NeoPhotonics.

The 400ZR is an interoperable 400-gigabit coherent interface developed by the Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF).

Optical module makers are developing 400ZR solutions that fit within the client-side QSFP-DD and OSFP pluggable form factors, first samples of which are expected by year-end.

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