With data center bandwidth growing rapidly, high-performance pluggable modules have become an important tool for network operators to scale their networks cost-efficiently. Acacia has worked closely with network operators to drive the industry’s first interoperable Probabilistic Constellation Shaped (PCS) interfaces. Acacia’s newest portfolio of silicon-based 800G coherent pluggables has been designed to double the connectivity speed from 400G to 800G to support data center interconnect (DCI) upgrades, taking advantage of next-generation routers with 800G I/O port speeds. When plugged into these routers, this family of 800G pluggables can replace traditional transport equipment across a greater range of infrastructure to meet demand for cloud and AI.

OIF Compliant 800ZR Modules
OIF compliant 400ZR has been a great success for the coherent pluggable industry with multiple suppliers and a tremendous volume of 400ZR QSFP-DD and OSFP modules deployed in metro DCI applications. With the switch and router 800G ports available, 800ZR will further reduce the cost, power, and space per 100G in the same applications. Acacia’s 800ZR pluggables support QSFP-DD and OSFP form factors fully compliant to OIF 800ZR with transmit power variants.

Acacia Delphi DSP-based coherent pluggable modules

800G ZR+ Modules with Interoperable PCS
Acacia’s 800G ZR+ modules are designed to support the recently released OpenROADM specifications that include interoperable PCS transmission capability. The 131Gbaud PCS provides an additional OSNR margin at 800G for longer reach suitable for regional DCI applications, linking multiple fiber spans and in-line amplification between data centers. Acacia 800G ZR+ pluggables support QSFP-DD and OSFP form factors with >1dBm transmit output power.

“The success of ZR+ at 400G was largely driven by its performance and interoperability, which enabled a multi-source environment to emerge,” said Scott Wilkinson, Lead Analyst for Optical Components at Cignal AI. “The interoperability now being proposed with 800G – not only in short distance applications (800ZR), but also in long distance (800G ZR+​) – expands the environment even further. Interoperable PCS will take the market for 800G pluggables beyond simple DCI into regional and even long-haul networks.”

400G QSFP-DD Module for Ultra Long-haul
Expanding Bright 400ZR+ module applications, Acacia has also added a new QSFP-DD for 400G ultra long-haul networks that include 400G QPSK and PCS with various baud rates to fit into different ROADM optical line systems. It is capable of >1dBm transmit power and high transmit OSNR over the entire C-band thanks to the integrated tunable optical filter for amplified spontaneous emission reduction.

Backed by Industry Leading Coherent Technology
Both the 800G pluggable portfolio and 400G ultra long haul pluggable are powered by Delphi, Acacia’s 9^th generation Digital Signal Processor (DSP) ASIC. Acacia boasts the broadest field-proven 400G MSA coherent pluggable portfolio in the industry with more than 250,000 ports shipped based on the Greylock DSP, including more than 10,000 Bright 400ZR+ ports. Acacia’s 800G and 400G pluggable portfolios benefit from Acacia’s 3D Siliconization approach, which applies integration and 3D stacking techniques to enable a single packaged device that includes all the high-speed optoelectronic functions necessary for coherent communications to provide benefits in cost, reliability, power, and size. These devices are manufactured using standard electronics packaging processes and result in improved signal integrity and performance through the reduction of electrical interconnects.

The Delphi DSP-based pluggable modules are planned to be available beginning in Q2 CY2024.

Additional Resources:

Blog: Key Challenges and Requirements for 800G MSA Pluggables

Below is a summary of where you can see Acacia speaking and showcasing its technology at the show.

Acacia Experts Discuss the Latest Trends and Technologies

Sunday, March 24^th

Are Coherent Transceivers About to Experience a Bandwidth Crunch?
Speaker: Long Chen
Time: 1:00 – 3:30 pm
Where: Room 6E

Coherent Optics for Next Generation 100G/200G PON: Single-Carrier or Multi-Carrier?
Speaker: Tom Williams
Time: 400 – 6:30 pm
Where: Room 6E

Monday, March 25^th

Executive Forum at OFC 2024
Status of Photonic-enabled Modules and Interconnects
Speaker: Tom Williams
Time: 10:45 – 12:00 pm
Where: Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel

Tuesday, March 26^th

Data Center Summit Panel II: Lowering Power Consumption in Optical Solutions
Organizer: Tom Williams
Time: 2:15 – 3:45 pm
Where: Theater II

Wednesday, March 27^th

CableLabs: Empowering Access Networks with Coherent Optics
Speaker: Tom Williams
Time: 11:30 – 12:30 pm
Where: Theater II

Coherent Optics Unleashed: From 400ZR Success to 800ZR/LR Advancements and 1600ZR Kick-off
Speaker: Tom Williams
Time: 4:00 – 5:00 pm
Where: Theater I

10 Years of Coherent DWDM Pluggables: Past, Present and Future 
Speaker: Christian Rasmussen
Time:  3:00 – 4:00 pm
Where: 3E

Acacia Accepted Papers

M3I. Transmission Optimization
Title: Optical Network Design with High Symbol Rate Flexible Coherent
Transceivers
Acacia Authors: Philippe Jennevé, Valeria Arlunno
Date/Time: Monday, March 25, 2024; 2:30 pm – 3:00 pm
Where: Room 7

W3H. Large Capacity Interconnect
Title: Real-Time 1.2Tb/s Large Capacity DCI Transmission
Acacia Authors: Hongbin Zhang, Shaoliang Zhang, Timo Pfau, Ahmed Awadalla, Mehmet Aydinlik, Jonas Geyer
Date/Time: Wednesday, March 27, 2024; 3:00 pm– 3:15 pm
Where: Room 6F

OIF Interoperability Participation

OIF Interoperability Demo, Booth #1323 – Featuring breakthrough solutions in speed, power and density to meet the growing demands of next-generation data center networking, AI/ML and disaggregation applications. Don’t miss interoperability demonstrations using Acacia’s QSFP-DD 400ZR and Bright 400ZR+ modules (including OpenROADM/ITU-T mode transmission), as well as multi-vendor management demonstrations through Common Management Interface Specification (CMIS).

Meet with Acacia at OFC
If you are attending the show, we welcome the opportunity to meet with you. Click here to request a meeting.  We hope to see you in San Diego!

The longest distance ever reported at single carrier 600G DWDM transmission on an SDM cable
The Amitié submarine cable features Space Division Multiplexing (SDM) technology with 16 fiber pairs, more than traditional subsea cables, with repeater power shared across the fiber pairs to deliver the highest cable capacity. This real-time field trial exceeded any industry trial performance to date with Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) 800G in a 150GHz channel spacing, equivalent to a spectrum efficiency of 5.33bit/s/Hz and a maximum spectral efficiency of 5.6bit/s/Hz. In addition, 600G was transmitted over 12,469 kilometers for a trans-Atlantic loopback configuration. This is the first time a 140Gbaud single carrier signal was demonstrated live, and is the longest distance ever reported at single carrier 600G DWDM transmission on an SDM cable.

According to Jamie Gaudette, GM of Cloud Network Engineering, Microsoft, “The transmission of 800G over 6,234 kilometers is a milestone that demonstrates SDM cables can deliver increased capacity over traditional subsea cables. This field trial demonstrates what is now a commercial technology for subsea routes, and we can improve the network capacity to help drive digital transformation for people, organizations, and industries around the world.”

“In the era of AI, reliable and fast network connections are more important than ever,” said Bill Gartner, SVP Optical Systems and Optics, Cisco. “Working with Microsoft on the Amitié cable to demonstrate the potential for improved overall network capacity with 800G at these distances is a significant milestone for an SDM cable, and we’re proud to drive the innovations that pave the way for ever increasing network capacity needs.”

Trial Leverages the Latest in Terabit Optics
According to Microsoft and Cisco, this trial was conducted to target improvements in subsea transmission to provide increased performance and capacity. It was performed with the Cisco NCS 1014 platform enabled by Acacia’s CIM 8, which is powered by Acacia’s Jannu digital signal processor and advanced silicon photonics.

CIM 8 features 2^nd Generation 3D Shaping that provides a 20% higher spectral efficiency over the previous generation. CIM 8 also includes advanced non-linear equalization capabilities, an important feature for submarine links. Acacia has been a leader in deployed submarine-capable silicon photonics for almost a decade.

With this recent subsea trial, Microsoft is the latest provider to announce successful transmission with the CIM 8. Previously, China Mobile, NYSERNet, Verizon, and Windstream Wholesale announced their own trials.

Join the Terabit Era
If you’re ready to join the Terabit Era with CIM 8, contact us.

As the first coherent module on the market to break through the terabit threshold, Acacia’s 1.2T Coherent Interconnect Module 8 (CIM 8) has proven its outstanding performance with multiple record breaking field trials across a wide range of applications. The most recent was Verizon with a successful 1.2 Tbps transmission over its live commercial fiber network in metro Long Island, NY.  And on the heels of that was Windstream Wholesale with a 1 Tbps wavelength over a 1,100-kilometer link across multiple routes on Windstream’s Intelligent Converged Optical Network (ICON).

Verizon Trial Demonstrates its Ability to Deliver Increased Speed, Reliability, and Overall Capacity
Leveraging the CIM 8’s advancements in terabit optics, Verizon was able to carry 1.2 Tbps of data using a single wavelength over longer distances through more nodes. In the trial, a 1.0 Tbps single-wavelength was transmitted over the Cisco NCS 2000 line system over 205km traversing 14 fiber central offices. In metropolitan networks, the number of central offices traversed is a key performance metric due to the progressive filtering and signal-to-noise ratio degradation as the wavelength passes through each office. Additionally in the trial, 800 Gb/s transmission was achieved over 305km through 20 offices and a 1.2 Tb/s wavelength traversed three offices.

According to Adam Koeppe, SVP of Technology Planning at Verizon, “We have bet big on fiber. Not only does it provide an award-winning broadband experience for consumers and enterprises, but it also serves as the backbone of our wireless network. As we continue to see customers using more data in more varied ways, it is critical we continue to stay ahead of our customers’ demands by using the resources we have most efficiently.”

Cisco’s Bill Gartner, SVP/GM Cisco Optical Systems and Optics, said “This trial demonstrates our commitment to continuous innovation aimed at increasing wavelength capacity and reducing costs. The Verizon infrastructure built with the Cisco NCS 2000 open line system supports multiple generations of optics thus protecting investments as technology evolves.”

Windstream Wholesale Trial Highlights Superior Performance of the CIM 8
Windstream Wholesale’s successful CIM 8 trial was enabled by the Cisco NCS 1014 C-Band 2.4T WDM Transponder Line Card with the CIM 8 module.  This transmission success showcased the high performance of the CIM 8, which was demonstrated over a third-party line system (150Ghz Channel). Following are the key wavelength transmissions that were achieved across Windstream ICON routes:

• Successful roundtrip transport of 1Tbps over 1,100 km from Miami to Jacksonville, Florida
• Successful transport of 800G over 1,387 km of mixed fiber from Miami through Tallahassee, Florida, to Atlanta, Georgia
• Successful roundtrip transport of 600G over 2,774 km from Miami, Florida, to Atlanta, Georgia

According to John Nishimoto, Windstream Wholesale senior vice president of products, marketing, and strategy, “This tremendous achievement further proves our commitment to technology leadership and networking expertise. We developed ICON to provide multi-vendor flexibility and seamlessly integrate the newest optimized technology into our disaggregated network. Achievements like this reinforce our 800G wave strategy and offer improved design and network planning options among our 100G and 400G solutions.”

The Growing Number of CIM 8 Trials
Verizon and Windstream Wholesale are just the latest providers to join the Terabit Era using Acacia’s CIM 8 module. Previously, Nysernet, China Mobile and Windstream Wholesale (in their first CIM 8 trial) announced record breaking field trials over ultra long haul, long haul and regional distances.  As all these trials demonstrate, the CIM 8 enables network operators to achieve the highest capacity and reach today while maximizing transmission data rate across a wide range of multi-haul network applications.

The CIM 8 Provides Full Network Coverage While Achieving 65% Power-per-Bit Savings Over Current Competing Solutions
Acacia’s CIM 8 enables full multi-haul network coverage as the high baud rate capabilities transport nx400GbE client traffic across a service provider’s entire network. As this previous blog discussed, the CIM 8 doubles the baud rate from the prior generation to achieve 140Gbaud capability while also leveraging the power of silicon technology to obtain cost and power advantages. These advancements have enabled the CIM 8 to provide 65% power-per-bit savings compared to current competing solutions that utilize alternative optical material systems.

Join the Terabit Era
If you’re ready to join the Terabit Era with CIM 8, contact us to schedule a field trial.

Multiple standardization bodies, including the OIF, Open ROADM, and the IEEE, are working in parallel to standardize 800G optical transmission and 800 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) protocols, helping to foster economies of scale. In parallel, module vendors are introducing the required technologies to enable low power 120+Gbaud solutions that would fit into small form-factor modules such as QSFP-DD and OSFP.

Higher Baud Rates, Standardization, and Higher Levels of Integration
With the 400G MSA pluggable generation, the industry via OIF converged onto Class 2 ~60Gbaud rate range and 4 bits/symbol 16QAM modulation order to enable 400G transmission within a 75GHz optical spectrum (Figure 1). Open ROADM requirements, targeting service providers, also included the same modulation order and similar baud rates, as well as additional transmission flexibility specifying more modulation modes, such as 2 bits/symbol QPSK to enable longer reaches at 200G.

Figure 1. 2x scaling of baud rates and channel spacing for ~60+Gbaud Class 2 to ~120+Gbaud Class 3 transition.

At 800G, the industry has converged to a 2x scaling of baud rate resulting in Class 3 ~120 Gbaud rates, as shown in Figure 1. Channel spacing requirements double to 150GHz for 800G, providing a straightforward network scaling supporting similar reaches to 400G Class 2 devices. As with 400G, this convergence is expected to drive economies of scale of the technology supporting this baud rate class.

To realize the modulation capability for Class 3 120+Gbaud operation, advancements in both high-speed optical modulation and supporting components as well as high-speed 112G-per-electrical-lane capabilities were needed to enable 800G MSA pluggables in compact form factors.  These optical and electrical high-speed capabilities have already been proven with the introduction of Acacia’s performance-optimized Coherent Interconnect Module (CIM) 8 module which utilizes silicon photonics, high speed ADC/DACs, RF components, and Acacia’s 3D Siliconization for Class 3 120+Gbaud transmission. The high-level of integration from 3D Siliconization allows this high baud rate technology to fit into QSFP-DD and OSFP pluggable form-factors, all while maintaining high signal integrity and low power consumption.

Figure 2.  3D Siliconization used in (left to right) Class 2 MSA Pluggables and Class 3 performance-optimized CIM 8. Highly integrated co-packaging is going to be important for Class 3 800G MSA pluggable modules.

Key Features Needed for 800G MSA Pluggable Modules
To meet customer needs and drive future adoption, 800G coherent MSA pluggables should have a number of key features and capabilities related to optical transmission, client traffic, low power consumption, and interoperable module management.

Figure 3. Illustrating the key features needed for 800G MSA Pluggable modules.

Optical Transmission Features

OIF 800ZR and high-performance interoperable PCS modes. OIF is defining an interoperable standard performance 800ZR variant addressing coherent line interfaces for amplified, single span, DWDM links over 80km using Class 3 optics operating at ~4 bits/symbol (equivalent to 16QAM) modulation. For a higher performance 800G solution, Open ROADM is defining enhanced performance modes that include an interoperable probability constellation shaping (PCS) implementation utilizing both Ethernet and OTN framing.

Multi-haul capable. In current Class 2 ~60Gbaud MSA pluggable solution designs capable of adjusting the modulation mode, a long reach 200G capability is available by setting the modulation order to QPSK (2 bits/symbol) rather than 16QAM (4 bits/symbol) used for 400G transmission. This capability was standardized in Open ROADM and adopted by OpenZR+. Class 3 ~120Gbaud solutions can be used for 800G metro/regional reaches, and for multiple different standard and proprietary modes at 400G and 600G to address a wide range of network requirements.

High transmit optical power capability. Like high-Tx (>0dBm) optical power capabilities introduced in Acacia’s Bright 400ZR+ QSFP-DD modules, 800G coherent MSA modules will require optical amplification to operate over traditional brownfield networks with ROADM network elements. Internal optical amplification is a key feature variant for this generation to support these types of networks.

Client Traffic Features

800GbE client traffic support. A key client traffic protocol to be supported in 800G generation coherent MSA pluggables is 800GbE. IEEE P802.3df^TM aims to define the requirements for native Ethernet traffic at 800G data rates. To support native 800G Ethernet traffic from switch/router I/O ports, 800G generation coherent MSA pluggables are required to support this protocol.

Multiplexing lower speed 100/200/400GbE electrical client traffic. It is expected that when 800G coherent MSA pluggables are introduced, 100GbE, 200GbE, and 400GbE will continue to be widely deployed client traffic speeds. Therefore, 800G pluggables need to support the ability to multiplex these lower speed protocols into 800G transmission, with requirements being established by the standardization groups. For networks utilizing OTN, support for FlexO at 800G could be possible.

Power Consumption and Management

Low power consumption. As with other MSA pluggable solutions, optimizing for low-power operation is a priority. The leveraging of Moore’s law with decreasing CMOS node sizes along with increased ASIC functionality has been a reason for the success of coherent pluggables—providing high-capacity links in a small form-factor. Power-optimized designs continue to be a priority for the new generation of Class 3 baud rate coherent MSA pluggables, not only for compliance in 800G slots, but also for backwards compatibility into lower-rate 400G legacy ports which have more restrictive power consumption requirements.

Content Management Interoperability Services (CMIS) compliance. In addition to industry standardization efforts at the optical transmission and client traffic levels, there has been a concerted effort to ensure multi-vendor interoperability of the module management interface through CMIS, defined in OIF. This ensures a common and predictable management signaling interface between the module and the host switch/router from one module vendor to another. CMIS compliance, a key requirement for 400G MSA modules, is going to extend to 800G as well.

Interoperable PCS Modes

Taking a page from the performance-optimized coherent playbook, 800G MSA pluggable solutions are expected to introduce interoperable PCS optical transmission. PCS shapes the optical transmission using an algorithm that weights the constellation to utilize the inner points more than the outer points, resulting in improved OSNR performance with a minimal increase in overhead. While previous implementations of PCS have always been proprietary, several key DSP vendors have collaborated over the last 12 months to enable the industry’s first introduction of interoperable PCS for 800G MSA pluggables.

Figure 4. High-level block diagram comparing 800G MSA pluggable solutions utilizing 800ZR standard transmission and 800ZR+ interoperable PCS mode for higher OSNR performance.

Driven by Open ROADM, the 800G interoperable PCS implementation provides a power-optimized method to boost the performance beyond 800ZR, similar to how oFEC boosted the performance beyond 400ZR in OpenZR+ modules. This additional performance allows 800G implementations to achieve similar reaches as 400G implementations based on 16QAM transmission. This Open ROADM interoperable PCS mode operates in the 130+Gbaud range, which is slightly higher than the 800ZR mode, but can still enable transmission in 150GHz channels. With interoperable PCS, network operators can benefit from a greater range of network implementations from the initial 800G MSA pluggable offerings compared to the initial 400G point-to-point offerings of the previous generation.

Following the Right Path to 800G Pluggables

In summary, operators are looking for the following key functional requirements to transition to 800G coherent MSA pluggables.

• Support for OIF 800ZR and high-performance interoperable PCS modes
• Multi-haul capable
• High Tx optical power option
• 800GbE client traffic support
• Multiplexing lower speed 100/200/400GbE electrical client traffic
• Low power consumption
• CMIS compliance

This solution can plug directly into switch/router ports to further drive adoption of IP-over-DWDM router-based optical network architectures. The first 800G pluggable deployments are expected in 2024.

To date, multiple system vendors have converged around Class 3-based solutions (Figure 1), recently announcing their next generation offerings. This industry convergence creates the benefit of economies of scale and broad industry investments into the technology used in this baud rate class, the same class being used for 800G MSA pluggable solutions.

Figure 1.  Acacia and other coherent vendors have announced Class 3 Terabit Era solutions.

Advancements Resulting in 65% Power-per-Bit Savings Over Current Competing Solutions
Doubling the baud rate from Class 2 to Class 3 in silicon was a significant engineering achievement, combining design advancements in high-speed Radio Frequency (RF) and Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) and Digital to Analog Converter (DAC) components plus well-designed co-packaging integration of silicon and silicon photonic (SiPh) components. These achievements led to Acacia’s successful 140Gbaud in-house capability that is being leveraged in the commercially available CIM 8 solution.

With high-volume shipments of multiple coherent Class 2 module products utilizing Acacia’s 3D Siliconization, this proven co-packaging integration solution provided the foundation for extending this capability to Class 3 140Gbaud implementation utilized in the CIM 8 (Figure 2). 3D Siliconization maximizes signal integrity by co-packaging all high-speed components including the coherent Digital Signal Processor (DSP) application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), transmitter and receiver silicon photonics, and 3D stacked RF components into a single device that is manufactured in a standard electronics packaging house. Silicon technology has demonstrated cost and power advantages over alternative technologies, making it the material system of choice for these higher baud rates. These advancements enabling a doubling of the baud rate have led to a 65% power-per-bit savings of CIM 8 over current competing solutions that utilize alternative optical material systems. In addition, the size and power savings of this latest generation enabled the ability to house this 1.2T 140Gbaud solution in a pluggable form-factor.

Figure 2.  An example of 3D Siliconization used in the CIM 8 module, resulting in a volume electronics manufacturable high-speed single device larger than a quarter.

2^nd Generation 3D Shaping Advances Coherent Performance
The CIM 8 is powered by Jannu, Acacia’s 8^th generation coherent DSP ASIC. The design greatly expands on the success of the Pico DSP ASIC predecessor used in the widely deployed performance-optimized Class 2 AC1200 module (Figure 1). The AC1200 was the first module to introduce 3D Shaping, which provided finely tunable Adaptive Baud Rate up to 70Gbaud as well as finely tunable modulation up to 6 bits/symbol. The AC1200 had achieved record breaking spectral efficiency at the time of its introduction, as evidenced by a subsea trial over the MAREA submarine cable connecting Virginia Beach, Virginia to the city of Bilbao in Spain. Finely tunable baud rate helps maximize spectral efficiency in any given passband channel, converting excess margin into additional capacity/reach, and avoids wasted bandwidth due to network fragmentation.

Figure 3.  A popular feature is the fine-tunability of baud rate introduced by Acacia with the Class 2 AC1200; CIM 8 incorporates the same Adaptive Baud feature (as part of 2^nd Generation 3D Shaping) for Class 3 baud rate tunability.

The 5nm Jannu DSP ASIC in CIM 8 intelligently optimizes optical transmission using 2^nd Generation 3D Shaping with an increased Adaptive Baud Rate tunable range up to 140Gbaud, as well as finely tunable modulation up to 6 bits/symbol using enhanced Probabilistic Constellation Shaping (PCS). With 2^nd Generation 3D Shaping, the CIM 8 module can achieve a 20% improvement in spectral efficiency.

Terabit Era Solutions Provide Full Network Coverage
Class 3 technology not only ushers in the terabit era, but also enables full multi-haul network coverage as the high baud rate capabilities transport nx400GbE client traffic across a service provider’s entire network. Full network coverage is not only enabled by adjustment of the modulation, but also implies the capability to optimize for various network conditions which include overcoming transmission impairments.

Figure 4. CIM 8 1.2T, 1T, 800G, and 400G transmission constellations operating at Class 3 baud rates providing wide network coverage addressing multiple applications.

CIM 8 offers significant power-per-bit reductions as well as cost efficiencies for various optical network transport applications.

DCI/Metro Reaches
For transporting 3x400GbE or 12x100GbE client traffic with metro reaches in a single carrier, the CIM 8 is tuned to ~6 bits/symbol (equivalent to 64QAM, example constellation on left). Data center interconnect (DCI) applications would take advantage of this high-capacity 1.2T transport capability to tie data center locations together. This amounts to 38.4T per C-band fiber capacity.

Long-Haul Reaches

For transporting 2x400GbE with long-haul reaches, the CIM 8 is tuned to ~4 bits/symbol (equivalent to 16QAM, example constellation on the right). Wide 800G network coverage is achieved with the Class 3 140Gbaud capabilities enabling service providers to provide end-to-end 2x400GbE, 8x100GbE, or native 800GbE transport across their networks, covering essentially all terrestrial applications.

Ultra-Long-Haul/Subsea Reaches

And for ultra-long-haul/subsea reaches, the CIM 8 is tuned to ~2 bits/symbol (equivalent to QPSK, example constellation on the left). As with the previous scenarios, spectral efficiency with a wavelength channel is optimized by fine-tuning of the baud rate. These high spectrally efficient modes can carry mixed 100GbE and 400GbE traffic over the longest subsea routes in the world with lowest cost per bit. It’s worth noting that almost a decade ago, Acacia demonstrated SiPh capabilities for subsea coherent deployments. CIM 8 incorporates second generation non-linear equalization (NLEQ) capabilities to mitigate the non-linear effects of optical transmission especially for these ultra-long-haul/subsea links providing additional OSNR.

In all the above scenarios, the CIM 8 utilizes advanced power-efficient algorithms to compensate for chromatic and polarization dependent dispersion. In addition, the module accounts for coverage of aerial fiber network segments that require fast state-of-polarization (SOP) tracking and recovery due to lightning strikes. The SOP tracking speed of CIM 8 is double the speed of its predecessor. This fast SOP tracking feature can also be utilized for sensing applications.

Network Operators Achieve Record Breaking Field Trials with CIM 8
CIM 8 capabilities have already been put to the test as illustrated by multiple record breaking field trials across a wide range of applications. These include >5600km 400G transmission over a mobile carrier’s backbone network, 2200km 800G transmission over a research and education network, and >540km 1T transmission over a wholesale carrier’s network.

Acacia continues to demonstrate its technology leadership by leveraging mature knowledge in proven silicon-based coherent technology, producing the first shipping coherent solution to lead the industry into the Terabit Era with the 1.2T pluggable CIM 8 module. With the breakthrough capability of 140Gbaud transmission along with the advanced Jannu DSP ASIC using 2^nd Gen 3D Shaping and leveraging 3D Siliconization, network operators can support full network coverage for multi-haul applications, especially to support growing demands for nx400GbE and upcoming 800GbE traffic.

References:
Blog: Terabit Today: Maximize Network Coverage
Blog: How Industry Trends are Driving Coherent Technology Classifications
Blog Series: The Road Ahead for Next-Generation Multi-Haul Designs Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

The aggressive ramp of 400G coherent pluggables has been faster than any previous coherent technology generation. Acacia’s comprehensive 400G pluggable portfolio in QSFP-DD, OSFP and CFP-DCO form factors and including support for 400ZR, OpenZR+ and Open ROADM MSA has led to its more than 50% market share in this category.

Field trials are now underway with several network operators looking to leverage Acacia’s newest 400G pluggable, the Bright 400ZR+ QSFP-DD module with high-transmit power for 400G transmission over ROADM line systems. With announcements already from Arelion, Vodafone Turkey, and most recently Sipartech, the Bright 400ZR+ module with greater than +1 dBm transmit power is proving to help network operators meet bandwidth demands while driving economies of scale on a common technology platform.

Cisco and Sipartech Successfully Test 400G Over 1,337 km to Deliver a More Efficient Transport Network for the Future
Cisco and Neutral European infrastructure carrier, Sipartech, announced the successful trial deployment of a 400G circuit using the Cisco NCS 5504 network convergence system together with the high transmit power Bright 400G ZR+ QSFP-DD optical module over 1,337 km.

For the trial, Sipartech used a Cisco chassis with the 400G QSFP-DD capable line cards over a third-party line system, with eight ROADMs, a typical ‘alien wave’ deployment for the Cisco Routed Optical Network. The routers were upgraded with the Bright 400G ZR+ QSFP-DD optics at both ends. The speed of the deployment was done within a few hours. This model negates a significant amount of physical hardware components, helping to reduce the carbon emissions associated with manufacturing the equipment.

The long-haul route used for this trial in the production network was from Paris to Clermont-Ferrand to Lyon, and back to Paris over mixed fiber. Sipartech has been deploying its own fiber and optical transmission networks in France and Europe since 2008, interconnecting major data centers to ensure high-quality services.

Following the trial’s success, Sipartech will use the Bright 400G ZR+ QSFP-DD high-power module to roll out 400G transponder-free services across its network footprint to connect more international businesses and ensure quality connections.

“With the interoperability of Cisco’s equipment, we can deploy our next generation 400G+ services with speed, simplicity, and flexibility to meet our customers’ needs, while optimizing energy expenditure and our carbon footprint as part of our global strategy,” said Julien Santina, Sipartech CEO.

Arelion Takes Next Step in Converging its IP and Optical Networking Layers
Arelion (formerly Telia Carrier) announced late last year that it was the first network operator to successfully demonstrate 400G coherent connections between Cisco 8000 and NCS 5700 router platforms over third-party open line system using Bright 400ZR+ QSFP-DD modules supporting high transmit power. On a live fiber route with existing ROADM infrastructure between Hamburg and Copenhagen, Arelion successfully leveraged the Bright 400ZR+ QSFP-DD between Cisco 8000 and NCS 5700 router platforms. The trial demonstrated the seamless integration of Routed Optical Networking with DWDM transponders carrying wavelength services.

“Multi-layer architecture has always been challenging to scale and operate due to decades of accumulated complexity. With this latest trial, Arelion demonstrated the possibility to simplify conversion and interoperability, bringing us closer to Routed Optical Networking that evolves cost structures, scalability and efficiency,” said Dariusz Solowiej, VP Network Technology & Customer Operations at Arelion. “400G coherent pluggables will help our customers secure high-performance connectivity at the lowest cost and help us grow our networks in scale as we continue to connect the world.”

Vodafone Turkey Provides Faster and More Reliable Services
Vodafone Turkey was the first operator in Turkey to test 400G speeds with multiple suppliers and network layers. In a trial conducted using the Bright 400ZR+ QSFP-DD modules and Cisco routers, a speed of 400G was achieved with optical routing between Vodafone’s data centers in Tuzla and Esenyurt.  According to Vodafone, this technology will enable them to provide faster and highly reliable services to its corporate and individual customers. It will also support the fight against global warming and climate change by increasing energy efficiency and reducing its carbon footprint.

Brightening ROADM Networks
With an optical transmitter power at least ten times greater than 400ZR, the Bright 400ZR+ QSFP-DD coherent module expands the applications that can be addressed by 400G coherent pluggable modules to include brownfield and greenfield metro/regional networks with reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexer (ROADM) nodes. To learn more about the expanding use cases read this blog article.

For more information on the Bright 400ZR+ module or to discuss how any of Acacia’s 400G pluggables can meet the needs of your network, contact us.

Acacia is excited to share the results of three breakthrough live network trials showing Ultra Long Haul, Long Haul and Regional distances recently completed by Adtran with NYSERNet, China Mobile with ZTE, and Windstream Wholesale, all leveraging Acacia’s Coherent Interconnect Module 8 (CIM 8).  As these trials demonstrate, the CIM 8 enables network operators to achieve the highest capacity and reach today while maximizing transmission data rate across a wide range of multi-haul network applications including DCI, metro, long haul, and subsea.

Adtran Breaks Industry Record for Single-Carrier 800G Long-Haul Transport
Adtran announced that it successfully completed a field trial of 800G single-carrier transport, achieving error-free transmission over a record distance of 2,220km in NYSERNet’s production network. The test route passed through 14 route-and-select flexgrid ROADMs comprising a total of 28 wavelength-selective switches. Leveraging Acacia’s 140GBd DSP technology, this result was made possible by Adtran’s use of continuous symbol rate tuning and probabilistic constellation shaping offered by the CIM 8 module. The trial showcases an opportunity for network operators to increase capacity and efficiency while minimizing complexity and cost.

A post-deadline paper accepted by OFC, using the NYSERNet production network, describes the 800G trial over a distance of 2,220km, an error-free 1T single-carrier real-time transmission over 869km, and an error-free transmission of single-carrier 138 Gbaud 800G over 1,422km with filtering from 24 wavelength selective switches (WSS) from in-line reconfigurable optical add drop multiplexers (ROADMs) configured to 150-GHz slot width.

According to Sorin Tibuleac, director of system architecture at Optical Networks at Adtran, “We’ve taken single-carrier 800Gbit/s data transmission further than ever before. And we’ve achieved it not in a lab but in a real-world network also carrying live traffic. What’s more, we succeeded without any optimization to the line system, maintaining the same amplifier settings used before the field trial. We’ve demonstrated that the highest capacity and reach can now be accomplished even over deployed fiber comprising a mix of standard G.652 and G.655 and including multiple network nodes and flexgrid ROADMs. Building on the success of our TeraFlex^TM CoreChannel^TM technology, these results represent the next milestone in the development of high-speed optical networks. The potential to enhance throughput while minimizing opex and operational complexity is immense.”

China Mobile’s 400G All-Optical Network Sets Record for Ultra Long Distance Transmission
China Mobile announced the world’s longest distance 400G optical transmission with help from ZTE. Using 400G QPSK non-electric relay network transmission the distance set a record.  The network spans Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, and Guizhou provinces, involving 45 optical discharge segments, achieving 5,616 kilometers of ultra-long-distance real-time network transmission.

The trial was completed to accelerate the development of 400G high-speed optical transmission in the industry. China Mobile believes the construction of a 400G all-optical network will provide strong support for faster transmission, greater capacity, and lower latency of computing network services.

Windstream Wholesale Sets Live Network Record with 1T Wave over 540km
Windstream Wholesale announced the completion of a live network trial that successfully deployed a 1T wave over 541 kilometers across Windstream’s Intelligent Converged Optical Network (ICON) network between Dallas and Tulsa. The trial employed Acacia’s CIM 8, which is powered by the Jannu DSP and is the industry’s first pluggable module in the “High-Performance” category that represents the next evolution in driving high-capacity optical connections to expand the network. The team also looped the circuit to establish an 800G link over a live network measuring 1,082 kilometers.

The 1T trial marked the first use of pluggable modules in the High-Performance category. Acacia’s modules reduce power consumption by more than 65% while being more than 70% smaller than traditional network gear. In addition, the performance gains allow for a significant jump in route coverage of high line rates such as 800G and above.

According to Art Nichols, Chief Technology Officer for Windstream, “With this trial, Windstream Wholesale and Acacia have broken through the Terabit limit, once again demonstrating the power and benefit of an open, disaggregated network. Our success here further validates Windstream Wholesale’s early adoption of the latest evolution advancements of coherent pluggables, and our strong partnership with Acacia enables us to understand and meet the rapidly evolving bandwidth needs of our customers.”

“As Windstream Wholesale is demonstrating, our CIM 8 module is breaking the Terabit threshold with deployable performance on a real network,” said Benny Mikkelsen, Chief Technology Officer at Acacia. “By leveraging silicon photonics, we’ve been able to achieve the power consumption needed to bring the CIM 8 into a pluggable form factor and that is going to help Windstream cost-effectively meet their customers’ growing bandwidth demands.”

Join the Terabit Era

If you’re ready to join the Terabit Era with CIM 8, contact us to schedule a field trial.

Supporting data rates up to 1.2 terabits per second (1.2Tbps), the CIM 8 is the first commercial single optical carrier coherent transceiver that breaks into the “Terabit Era.” It is powered by Jannu, Acacia’s 8^th generation digital signal processor (DSP) ASIC, which is based on 5nm CMOS and features the latest in Silicon Photonic technology.  This solution delivers industry-leading performance in a small faceplate pluggable module by combining the Jannu DSP with 3D Siliconization packaging technology. The CIM 8 supports multi-haul applications by using second-generation 3D Shaping technology and continuous baud rate adjustment up to 140Gbaud, enabling customers to scale their networks efficiently and cost-effectively.

“The ability to maximize transmission data rate across a wide range of multi-haul network applications is key for cost-effectively scaling networks,” said Bill Gartner, SVP / GM Optical Systems and Optics Group at Cisco.  “Not only does the CIM 8 deliver exceptional performance, but it also consumes less than half the power per bit of competing solutions, allowing us to support terabit transmission with a small pluggable module.”

“Shipping CIM 8 Terabit Era optical transceivers with 140Gbaud capability to customers and seeing them tested in carrier networks is very exciting,” said Mehrdad Givehchi, VP of Engineering for Acacia. “Delivering the highest channel capacity and longest reach with maximum fiber utilization, the CIM 8 transceiver enables a wide range of multi-haul network applications including DCI, metro, long-haul, and subsea.”

Benefits of Increased Baud Rates

Increasing baud rate is an efficient way to enable more cost-effective optical networks by reducing the number of optics needed to support a given transmission capacity. By doubling the baud rate between successive generations, CIM 8 supports twice the capacity per carrier over greater reaches than earlier generations such as our widely deployed AC1200 coherent module. Three 400GbE client interfaces can be transmitted over virtually any network application, delivering 1.2Tbps per carrier capacity for high-capacity DCI interfaces, 800G per carrier capacity over most optical links using 4 bits/symbol (~16QAM) modulation and 400G QPSK over ultra-long-haul and subsea distances.

Performance Optimizing Features Enabled by the Jannu DSP

A key feature of the Jannu DSP is Acacia’s second-generation 3D Shaping technology, which includes advanced Probabilistic Constellation Shaping, Adaptive Baud Rate, and enhanced transmission impairment compensation algorithms providing superior performance using a single carrier implementation. This technology gives service providers unprecedented transmission flexibility to match their network’s architecture, optimize fiber utilization, simplify deployment, and save on both CAPEX and OPEX.

The Jannu DSP provides customers with continuous baud rate adjustment up to 140Gbaud and continuous modulation to optimize utilization of available spectrum in point-to-point DWDM or cascaded ROADM paths. As a single carrier design, the Jannu DSP incorporates Acacia’s most advanced line-rate processing algorithms to efficiently overcome fiber transmission impairments across various fiber types and fiber cable installation conditions. These power-efficient algorithms are designed to compensate fiber non-linearity to achieve longer transmission distance, automatically compensate for very large chromatic dispersion over trans-Pacific submarine cables, tolerate older deployed fibers with high Polarization Mode Dispersion, as well as provide fast state-of-polarization tracking required for aerial fiber cables in stormy weather conditions.

Leverages Acacia’s 3D Siliconization

The CIM 8 continues Acacia’s history of technology leadership by delivering industry leading performance based on the same silicon photonics used in high-volume pluggable modules. 3D Siliconization, a key enabler for the industry leading 140Gbaud, uses highly scalable and reliable volume semiconductor manufacturing processes, leveraging 3D stacking technology to enable a single packaged device to include all the high speed electrical and opto-electronic functions necessary for coherent transceivers. This device decreases footprint by integrating the DSP, Photonic Integrated Circuit, modulator drivers, and Transimpedance Amplifiers, and is manufactured using standard CMOS packaging processes that offer improvements in reliability, cost, and volume scaling.

To learn more, visit the Coherent Interconnect Module 8 page or contact us.

Supporting Resources

Acacia Unveils Industry’s First Single Carrier 1.2T Multi-Haul Pluggable Module

How Industry Trends are Driving Coherent Technology Classifications

The Road Ahead for Next Generation Multi-Haul Designs (Part 1 of 3)

The Road Ahead for Next Generation Multi-Haul Designs (Part 2 of 3)

The Road Ahead for Next-Generation Multi-Haul Designs (Part 3 of 3)

100GBaud+ Silicon Photonics Solutions Drive Optical Network Evolution

Acacia is excited to be participating once again in person!  We expect a number of hot topics to be front and center at the show – from the path to coherent lite, interoperable 400ZR/ZR+ pluggables ramping, and of course high-performance multi-haul solutions.

Coherent Lite

Over the last year, the industry has been abuzz around a new effort called “coherent lite,” which is a simpler implementation of coherent transmission that is designed for use in short reach campus and intra-DC applications. It essentially removes the features required for traditional transport DWDM applications.

Coherent lite pluggables can provide a competitive cost structure at 800G and beyond, utilizing fewer lasers, while meeting campus and intra-DC requirements. This solution can be a candidate for applications typically addressed by IM-DD solutions. We believe this will be a hot topic at the show.

The Rise of Standardized 400G Pluggables

The 400G coherent pluggable market is one of the most important developments in optical networking today. According to Cignal AI’s 4Q21 Transport Applications Report, shipments of 400ZR/ZR+ modules are expected to triple in 2022 as cloud operators such as Microsoft, Amazon, and Google are joined by traditional network operators such as AT&T, Windstream, and COLT rolling out high volume deployments.  Similarly, LightCounting’s Market Forecast from April 2022 estimates that the opportunity for pluggables based on 400ZR and 800ZR technology will surpass $2.8 billion by 2027.

Clearly, interoperable standards have played a key role in the rapid growth of pluggables. Standardization helps carriers by providing simplicity, interoperability and volume-driven cost. This has helped increase demand. The aggressive ramp of these products has been faster than any previous coherent technology generation. Several OIF members including Acacia are set to showcase multivendor interoperability for critical networking technologies at ECOC 2022.

OIF’s 400ZR project is proving successful in facilitating new and simplified architectures for high bandwidth inter-data center interconnects and promoting interoperability among coherent optical module manufacturers including Acacia’s 400ZR QSFP-DD. This 400ZR interop demo shows a full implementation across an 80km DWDM ecosystem using multiple form-factor pluggable modules, 400GbE routers, a 75 GHz C-band open line system, and test equipment solutions from multiple vendors. The demo provides evidence of widescale 400ZR deployment readiness based on a broad ecosystem of interoperable solutions.

Acacia’s newest entrant to the pluggable module category is the high transmit power 400G pluggable, which we are calling our “Bright” module.  We recently introduced the Bright 400ZR+ QSFP-DD pluggable coherent optical module with high optical performance designed for seamless deployment in ROADM line systems. These modules are designed to expand the applications for this technology by addressing a variety of ROADM architectures such as those with colorless multiplexing. With greater than +1 dBm transmit optical power and high transmit OSNR, Acacia’s Bright 400ZR+ gives network operators more flexibility to address a range of brownfield and greenfield applications utilizing the high-density QSFP-DD form factor.

High-Performance Multi-Haul Solutions

While pluggables are becoming extremely popular for router-based solutions in DCI, metro and some long-haul applications, transponder-based solutions are still required for long-haul, ultra-long haul and subsea. Transponders that include multi-haul high-performance modules can help network operators maximize their fiber investment, reduce power, simplify operations, and decrease costs.

The industry has shifted its focus to increasing the baud rate per carrier, while also introducing performance-improving innovations, to enable end-users to achieve cost-efficiencies as bandwidth demand continues to grow. As an example, newly introduced Class 3 120+Gbaud solutions based on silicon photonics offer a path to cost-effectively double capacity over a single carrier compared to earlier implementations.

Acacia’s performance optimized multi-haul coherent solutions have proven to be extremely effective at helping service providers meet these challenges.  Earlier this year, Acacia announced it had shipped more than 100,000 ports of its Pico DSP which powers the company’s highly successful AC1200 1.2TB module.

Building on this success, Acacia introduced its Coherent Interconnect Module 8 (CIM8), which is based on the company’s newest DSP technology, the 8^th generation Jannu 5nm DSP, and includes second generation 3D Shaping and continuous baud rate adjustment of up to 140Gbaud.  This new module achieves several industry firsts:

• The first single-carrier 1.2TB multi-haul pluggable module
• The first coherent module to support 140Gbaud
• The first 5nm multi-haul DSP

Acacia successfully demonstrated 140Gbaud performance with our high-performance silicon photonics at this year’s OFC 2022.

Speaking Sessions

To hear more about the topics discussed in this article, don’t miss our speaking sessions.

• Workshop: Adaptive everything! Do optical networks really need more flexibility?
  • Presentation title: 400ZR and OpenZR+: Enabling New Network Architecture Optimization
  • Speaker: Lorenzo Ghioni
  • Date/time:  Sunday September 18^that 9:15-9:25 am
• Market Focus Panel: Modules/Sub-Systems/Connectors/Line-Cards
  • Presentation title: Next Generation Coherent Interfaces: Standardized Pluggable vs Proprietary Multi-haul
  • Speaker: Tom Williams
  • Date/time: Tuesday September 20^that 10:00-10:25 am

Come See Us!
If you are attending the show and want to connect, we’d welcome the opportunity to meet with you. Click here to set up a meeting. We hope to see you in Switzerland!