OPTICA AND CONSORTIUM FOR ON-BOARD OPTICS ANNOUNCE FIRST ANNUAL CO-PACKAGED OPTICS AND PLUGGABLES SUMMIT

Summit to drive important discussions and technology advancement between key companies in the photonics industry

WASHINGTON, Oct. 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Optica, formerly OSA, Advancing Optics and Photonics Worldwide, and the Consortium for On-Board Optics (COBO) announce a partnership to host the Co-Packaged and Pluggable Optics Industry Summit and the DuPont Silicon Valley Technology and Innovation Center in Sunnyvale, California on 26-27 October 2022. This unique event is in-person-only and features presentations from Microsoft, Google, Meta, Intel, NVIDIA, Arista, Juniper Networks, Marvell, Infinera, Broadcom, Corning, MACOM, Molex, HG Genuine, Ayar Labs, and more.

Optica and COBO have partnered to accelerate discussions on how photonic solutions address global bandwidth predictions of 30% in 2022. Leading data center operators report that today's compute offerings do not meet the demands of expected workloads of the near future and require that photonics technologies evolve quickly, cost-effectively, and greenly.

"We are in a transition period," said Jose Pozo, Optica chief technology officer. "As the global bandwidth pressure grows on datacom providers, major corporations need to ensure key photonics technologies are as close as possible to the processing units inside data centers."

"There are diverse approaches in the market today, and each company has its own roadmap. For the supply chain to meet industry demands, technology companies and hyperscalers must align several options to offer the fastest, greenest and most cost-effective path for data center companies including, Google, Meta, and Microsoft. There is urgency in coordinating approaches now."

Brad Booth, president of COBO and principal engineer, Azure Hardware Architecture at Microsoft, added, "The growing diversity of optical applications within the data center is driving the increased need to enhance high-speed board level interconnect systems and COBO members recognize it is critical for companies to collaborate. We expect important insights and decisions to come from this gathering."

Optica (formerly OSA), Advancing Optics and Photonics Worldwide, is the society dedicated to promoting the generation, application, archiving and dissemination of knowledge in the field. Founded in 1916, it is the leading organization for scientists, engineers, business professionals, students and others interested in the science of light. Optica's renowned publications, meetings, online resources and in-person activities fuel discoveries, shape real-life applications and accelerate scientific, technical and educational achievement. Discover more: Optica.

Founded in 2016, Consortium for On-Board Optics (COBO) develops specifications and industry guidance documents to permit the use of board-mounted optical modules in the manufacturing of networking equipment. COBO has four working groups: Multimode Waveguide Interconnect System Working Group, Co-Packaged Optics Working Group, Data Center Networking Working Group and Coherent Optics Working Group. COBO also hosts member study groups for the advancement of Multi-Core Fiber and Laser Source Solutions.

Media Contacts
Optica
[email protected]

Consortium for On-Board Optics
Melissa Kallos
[email protected]

SOURCE Consortium for On-Board Optics