Figure 1. Acacia’s Wall of Patents.

A recent Gazettabyte article details how our co-founders carried out this mission, introducing improvements in performance and power consumption to legacy coherent technology, initially used for the most challenging optical transmission links. Looking through our history, it’s clear to see the trailblazing path Acacia helped to define with coherent optical modules, especially pluggable modules. Acacia has always been laser-focused on providing customers with continuous improvements in speed, capacity, performance, size, and power consumption to meet the ever-growing demand for bandwidth. This has been done by focusing on (1) silicon-based optical and electrical designs, (2) advanced digital signal processing (DSP), (3) high-speed RF expertise, and (4) volume manufacturable high-density packaging, with all these disciplines “under one roof.” As a result, Acacia is now a leading supplier of coherent modules with multiple product families to support speeds from 100G to 1.2T, including a broad portfolio of 400G and 800G pluggable products, to address the needs of network operators worldwide.

Pioneer of Coherent Pluggables
It is interesting to note that this year marks the 30th anniversary of a significant event in optical transceiver history. It was in 1995 when the first standards-based pluggable optical transceiver called the Gigabit Interface Convertor (GBIC) was first defined, with supported speeds up to ~1Gbps. It was ~20 years from this achievement that Acacia introduced the first optical coherent pluggable transceiver to support 100Gbps in the multi-source agreement (MSA) CFP form factor.

Figure 2. Industry standardized pluggable modules: From the early days of 1G GBICs to today’s coherent pluggables capable of 3000km+ 400G and 1000km+ 800G.

And today, Acacia’s latest generation of coherent pluggable modules powered by the Delphi DSP, our 9th generation DSP, has enabled extraordinary reaches using even smaller QSFP-DD and OSFP form-factor modules. Acacia’s 400G ultra long-haul modules support distances beyond 3000km, and 800G ZR+ enhanced performance modules support distances beyond 1000km.

Leadership in Industry Standards
To ensure a thriving marketplace for coherent pluggable optics, many companies participate in MSA initiatives and/or in industry standards groups to agree on module product requirements to ensure a multi-vendor supply, interoperability, and economies of scale. Acacia has been a key driver and participant in many of these organizations. In the 400G pluggable generation, Acacia served as editor for the 400ZR Implementation Agreement in OIF. Acacia was also a founding member of the OpenZR+ MSA, which provided requirements for enhanced performance 400ZR+ with multi-vendor interoperability. Market adoption of 400ZR and OpenZR+ solutions has been the fastest of any coherent technology in history.

In the 800G pluggables generation, Acacia has continued its leadership in industry standards activities. As a key contributor along with other coherent suppliers, Acacia introduced the first standardized, interoperable probabilistic constellation shaping (PCS) mode for 800G ZR+ enhanced performance, enabling network operators to expand their 800G reaches beyond 1000km. The company is also playing a key role in driving 1600ZR/ZR+ industry agreements.

With the increasing demand for the current generations of 400G and 800G coherent pluggable modules, several companies have jumped on the bandwagon to participate in this optical renaissance. These 400G and 800G QSFP-DD and OSFP form-factor modules, capable of plugging directly into switch and router ports, have invigorated architectures using router-based coherent optics as a networking solution to reduce overall total cost of ownership.

Silicon-based Designs, Advanced DSPs, and High-Density Packaging
The key to Acacia becoming a market leader in coherent optics stems from our ongoing focus on core technology. For example, an important factor that provided many advantages in low power and high-density packaging was Acacia’s adoption of silicon photonics for high-speed coherent transmission. Silicon does not require temperature stabilization, which results in lower power implementation. In addition, silicon photonics can leverage high-volume CMOS packaging techniques to reduce overall cost. Our design and development approach has always been to utilize silicon photonics for both MSA pluggable modules as well as performance-optimized modules, providing design and operational efficiencies as well as rapid time to market. Following Acacia’s lead, we are now seeing multiple suppliers also embracing silicon photonics technology in their coherent pluggable modules because of the benefits it has delivered to the industry.

Another key technology advantage that sets Acacia apart is its coherent DSP design and capabilities. Innovation in this area has been critical for mitigating impairments such as dispersion and non-linear effects incurred during transmission over optical fiber. Acacia’s balanced and power-efficient approach to DSP development ensures robust algorithms while minimizing power consumption. As CMOS node sizes continue to shrink, relatively complex techniques for improving performance can be introduced into very compact MSA pluggable modules. The improved performance is enabling network operators to expand the types of architectures they can deploy using these pluggables, resulting in the ability to offer a wider range of network applications.

Driving innovation to meet increasing transmission baud rates meant having in-house cross-disciplinary teams to ensure the best designs. We were able to achieve this while also delivering a compact low power consumption device. Acacia’s 3D Siliconization enabled this high-density level of packaging with high signal integrity and allowed us to also leverage volume manufacturable processes used in the electronics industry. This approach enabled faster scaling of manufacturing and improved reliability.

15+ Years of Industry Firsts and Design Expertise
Technology leadership is a culmination of many factors, not just having the expertise in the technology itself. It is comprised of how the technology is developed and quickly brought to market with the capability of volume while maintaining quality, and with the goal of meeting customer requirements. Many factors have contributed to Acacia’s technology leadership, including an engineering approach based on in-house design expertise across key disciplines, leveraging years of experience, building on the successes of previous generations as well as adjacent industry innovations and manufacturing processes, and participating in industry standards. This powerful combination created many industry firsts over the last 15+ years since Acacia was founded.

Figure 3. Acacia has achieved many industry firsts for coherent pluggable modules since its founding.

Acacia has introduced coherent module products, including its recent Delphi-based pluggable modules, leveraging nine generations of DSP ASICs, and holds an industry leadership position when it comes to innovative design, quality, and manufacturability of coherent pluggable modules especially as baud rates increase while size and power consumption requirements decrease. Acacia continues to demonstrate its technology leadership as we move to higher bandwidth applications such as AI, as well as customer requirements for higher speed solutions such as 1600G MSA pluggable modules.

Market Adoption and Use Case Expansion
Coherent pluggables have seen remarkable market adoption, with 400G ZR/ZR+ coherent optics becoming the most widely adopted coherent technology in history. While some in the industry predicted early on that 400ZR pluggables would only be a small portion of the coherent market, Acacia has been laser focused on bringing these solutions to its customers to deliver the architectural change needed to transform networks to meet ever-growing bandwidth demands. As a result, Acacia is a market leader in shipments of 400G+ coherent pluggables.

During 2024, Acacia expanded this market-leading portfolio with the introduction of 800ZR and 800G ZR+ pluggables with Interoperable PCS in QSFP-DD and OSFP form factors. These solutions have already been proven in field trials, with Colt being the first provider to successfully trial enhanced performance 800G ZR+ coherent pluggable optics. These 800G router-based optics provide the capability to double Colt’s packet core capacity per link while reducing power per bit by 33.3%.

Acacia also introduced a 400G Ultra Long Haul QSFP-DD module for expanding 400G applications from DCI/metro to long haul applications. The 400G UHL has been proven in field trials, with Arelion announcing that it completed a live network field trial on its route from Chicago to Denver that demonstrated successful IP transmission at a spectrum of 112.5 gigahertz over 2,253 kilometers, with healthy margins, providing longer transmission distances and greater cost savings than currently deployed transponders. Acacia’s 400G ULH pluggables enable Arelion to reduce CAPEX by 35 percent and OPEX costs by 84 percent when expanding its network, providing wider reach with high capacities that support customers’ AI/ML and cloud applications.

The Terabit Era is Going Strong
According to Cignal AI, in 2025, 1.2T+ performance optimized solutions will contribute significantly to bandwidth growth as those solutions continue to be introduced. Acacia’s 1.2T Coherent Interconnect Module 8 (CIM 8), powered by the Jannu DSP, has proven its outstanding performance with multiple record-breaking field trials across Metro, Long Haul and Subsea with Microsoft, Verizon, Windstream, and others. Acacia is also engaged with multiple webscale customers and expects CIM 8 to continue its ramp in 2025.

Looking Ahead…..Artificial Intelligence, 1600ZR/ZR+ and More!
AI certainly was a hot topic during OFC and ECOC in 2024 and Acacia believes it will continue to be in 2025. While a year ago, the industry was focused on single-site AI clusters, we will begin to hear more about methods for distributing AI training over different locations in 2025. And while there is still a lot of work to happen in this area, the optics industry is well positioned to be at the forefront of this evolution since higher speed optical interconnections will be necessary to mitigate bandwidth constraints within an AI networks. Read this recent blog for more information on future proofing your network for AI.

Router-based Coherent Optics
The proliferation of router-based coherent optics is paving the way to a converged IP+Optical network architecture. The benefits in 2024 were clear. Infrastructure provider Colt Technology Services reported a stunning 97% energy savings, and Arelion saved 64% in CapEx and 76% in OpEx. In 2025, we can expect to see more providers leveraging this architecture to achieve increased capacity, reduced energy consumption, and lowered network costs, complexity, and footprint.

1600ZR and 1600ZR+ Standards Agreement
The OIF launched efforts last year on 1.6T coherent optical interconnect solutions and is making progress towards interoperable 1600ZR and 1600ZR+ implementation agreements.  In 2025, the industry will be looking at ways to advance this migration using advanced technologies for high baud rate modulation and smaller CMOS nodes.

Looking to the Future
Acacia is looking forward to another year of industry-wide innovation. Helping to solve some of our customers’ most challenging problems has been part of our DNA since Acacia was founded in 2009 and as you can see from this historic timeline, we have continued to set new benchmarks for performance and efficiency. These innovations are not only addressing the current demands of high capacity networks, but are also paving the way for future growth and scalability. Key to this success has been listening to our customers and designing the products and features that they need to be successful. We look forward to continuing that tradition.

With the initial adoption of 400G coherent pluggables for IP-over-DWDM networks being driven by router interconnects, these pluggable modules based on coherent technology have been referred to as router-based coherent optics. There are now more than 200 network operators that have embraced this cost-saving paradigm.

Figure 1. Router-based coherent optics provide cost savings.

400G Coherent Modules and Open Line Systems Led the Way
As previously mentioned, the introduction of 400G interoperable coherent MSA modules that plug directly into router ports helped accelerate network operator adoption of router-based coherent optics, enabling high-capacity optical connections within a metro reach network without traditional transponder hardware. Two different mechanical form-factors for these 400G modules, QSFP-DD and OSFP, were introduced to the market, with the former being the primary form-factor being shipped today for 400G, matching the widely adopted host platform QSFP-DD slots.

The disaggregation of optical line systems has also helped progress the adoption of router-based coherent optics. These open line systems enable the insertion of wavelength transmission from router-based coherent MSA pluggable modules rather than from transponders sold by the same line system vendor. Many of the recently deployed networks utilizing router-based optical modules have been over these open line systems. In fact, approximately 70% of the above mentioned 200 end-users were utilizing an open line system.

In addition, the introduction of 400G coherent modules with high transmit optical power, such as Acacia’s Bright 400ZR+ module, helped accelerate service provider adoption because higher transmit power helps to avoid performance penalties when connecting to typical brownfield ROADM architectures. Modules such as the Bright 400ZR+ also include a transmitter tunable optical filter (TOF) to minimize adjacent channel interference that could impact performance, especially if colorless ROADMs are present in the network.

An ongoing challenge that the industry is making progress with is the ability for seamless management of coherent MSA modules. Industry groups such as the Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) have made great progress to address this challenge, with the OIF driving the Common Management Interface Specification (CMIS). This effort continues to be an area of industry focus to further lower the adoption barrier of router-based optics.

Continuing the Momentum of Router-based Coherent Optics
To continue the adoption of router-based coherent optics, expanding interoperable MSA pluggable module capabilities were required to address network operator use cases such as long haul and ultra long haul reaches as well as a migration from 400G links to 800G links. Thanks to recent advances in coherent technology, these capabilities have been recently introduced.

400G ultra-long-haul (ULH) modules leveraging Class 3 (~120+ Gbaud data) rate technology enables the reach capability of 400G to extend from metro/regional reaches to ultra long-haul reaches, reducing the barrier for network operators to deploy router-based coherent optics in virtually any network application. Arelion recently announced a successful trial using Acacia’s Delphi-DSP based 400G ULH modules over 2,253km with margin, enabling a 35% reduction in CAPEX and 84% reduction in OPEX.

To take advantage of the latest generational increase in switch/router chip capacity resulting in I/O ports transitioning from 400G to 800G speeds, the same Class 3 generation coherent technology support 800G interoperable coherent MSA modules that plug directly into host platforms. This enables network operators who have already embraced an IP-over-DWDM architecture using router-based coherent optics at 400G to now migrate to 800G. For example, Colt recently announced that it is the first provider to successfully trial enhanced performance 800G ZR+ coherent pluggable optics, in their Cisco 8000 series router ports, in its production network. These 800G router-based coherent optics provide the capability to double Colt’s packet core capacity per link while reducing power per bit by 33.3%.

While the initial adoption of router-based coherent optics for deploying an IP-over-DWDM network were from hyperscalers and service providers, the momentum of adoption has expanded to research and education networks, enterprise networks, and many other network operators looking to optimize total cost of ownership. And the application is not limited to using coherent pluggable optics in routers, but also in network switches for fabric extension requiring an interconnect to a distant site.

Acacia’s Interoperable Modules Enabling the Future
Acacia is enabling the adoption of 400G and 800G IP-over-DWDM architectures with router-based coherent optics. The latest generation of MSA pluggable modules include 800ZR and 800G ZR+ variants as well as 400G ULH for ultra-long-haul reaches. These are all powered by Acacia’s 9th generation Delphi DSP ASIC and 130+Gbaud high-speed silicon photonic PIC technology enabling a low-power industry standard based solution. The 800G ZR+ module also includes the industry’s first standardized interoperable probability constellation shaped (PCS) mode. In addition, Acacia is a leading supplier of 400ZR and OpenZR+ compliant modules including high Tx power Bright modules for 400G based metro/regional IP-over-DWDM network.

Enabled by coherent pluggable modules, the adoption of IP-over-DWDM using router-based coherent optics continues to grow, providing significant reduction in TCO for network operators.

The Path Towards Robust, Interoperable 1600ZR/ZR+ Interfaces
With 200G per lane electrical PAM4 solutions recently introduced, network operators now have a path towards supporting 1600G host router I/O ports by using eight parallel electrical lanes (Figure 1). Similar to 400G and 800G generations, this is a key motivator in developing coherent pluggable modules to be plugged into these 1600G router ports for inter-data center optical links. However, along with the progress on the host interface side, there is still much work to be done to ensure a technically feasible and robust interoperable design for 1600ZR/ZR+ coherent pluggable modules.

Figure 1. Simple illustration of how advances in achieving 200G PAM4 can be leveraged for 1600ZR/ZR+ coherent optical transmission.

OIF Defining Both 1600ZR and 1600ZR+ Standards
Unlike previous coherent standardization efforts at 400G and 800G, in which enhanced “ZR+” performance links were defined outside of OIF, the OIF has launched initiatives to define both 1600ZR and 1600ZR+. Having both efforts occurring simultaneously enables the OIF to make decisions with both 1600ZR and 1600ZR+ in the same scope of discussions. This helps keep the two implementations as aligned as possible, which is beneficial for the industry considering the large investments of technology required. The focus of these investments includes advanced CMOS nodes to maintain low power consumption within the envelope of QSFP-DD and OSFP form-factor requirements, and advanced designs in high-speed RF/mixed-signal as the modulation approaches the Class 4 240Gbaud range (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Charting the course towards Class 4 baud rate standardization efforts.

As we saw in both the 400G and 800G generations, the foundation of 16QAM (4 bits/symbol) modulation was adopted and this is likely to also happen with the 1600G generation. For 1600G transmission, 16QAM modulation implies ~236+Gbaud data rate operation.

In addition to modulation order, the type of forward error correction (FEC) has also been a key parameter that required industry agreement. At 400G, the OIF adopted concatenated FEC (CFEC) as the 400ZR FEC and OpenZR+ MSA adopted oFEC (a high-performance FEC) for 400G ZR+. At 800G, the OIF decided to adopt oFEC for ZR, aligning it with ZR+ modes. To provide an enhanced performance mode beyond 800ZR, OpenROADM MSA defined an interoperable PCS for 800G ZR+ (Figure 3). It is likely that oFEC will be similarly adopted for both 1600ZR and combined with some interoperable PCS for 1600ZR+ modes.

Figure 3. 400G to 800G evolution of ZR vs. ZR+ implementations; how will 1600G ZR vs. ZR+ implementations be different?

What Will Be the Industry Consensus for 1600ZR/ZR+?
Every new generation of speeds-and-feeds encounters challenges around industry consensus and technology achievements that push the envelope – and 1600ZR/ZR+ is no different. There is currently great momentum driving these efforts forward, especially in anticipation of advances in generative AI that are pushing optical interconnect needs to higher bandwidths. Evidence of this momentum is apparent by other industry efforts beyond the OIF that are currently active. In addition to the OIF 1600ZR/ZR+ efforts, the IEEE has also begun working on 1.6TbE electrical and optical interface standards within the IEEE 802.3dj working group, anticipated to be ready by the second half of 2026.

In light of this progress, the question is “how does the industry reach consensus for 1600ZR/ZR+?” We eagerly await the outcome.

The Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) kicked off the 400G MSA pluggable generation with development of the 400ZR implementation agreement enabling point-to-point amplified links up to 120km operating at 60+Gbaud data rates. Around the same timeframe, the OpenROADM MSA defined 400G interfaces for ROADM networks and extended reaches; the OpenZR+ MSA leveraged these higher performance interfaces to enable interoperable enhanced performance links for 400G pluggable modules (Figure 1).

The introduction of high-transmit optical power (>0dBm) ZR+ modules such as Acacia’s Bright 400ZR+ module further expanded the 400G MSA pluggable space to include brownfield ROADM network architectures (with existing transponder channels ~0dBm). Driven by increasing bandwidth demands from applications such as AI, network operators are now looking towards a new generation of MSA pluggable products that further expand applicable networking scenarios that operators can leverage to scale and meet these demands.

How Industry Standards Benefit MSA Pluggable Module Adoption
The latest array of MSA pluggable products introduces a new set of capabilities that network operators can utilize to increase capacity and extend reach. These products provide the ability to deploy 800G with ZR, ZR+, and high-transmit optical power capabilities, as well as extending the capabilities of existing 400G router interfaces to support ultra-long-haul (ULH) reach capabilities. This new generation of modules continues to leverage industry standardization while also borrowing capabilities from performance-optimized coherent solutions. These capabilities include high-baud rate transmission allowing for a doubling of baud rates from the previous Class 2 (~60+Gbaud range) generation to Class 3 (~120+Gbaud range) baud rates, the use of probabilistic constellation shaping (PCS) for enhanced transmission performance, and L-band support for spectrum range expansion.

Figure 1.  Interoperability approaches at 400G vs. 800G.

Industry standardization of coherent solutions plays a key role in enabling economies of scale. Users of 400G coherent MSA pluggable modules such as 400ZR/ZR+ have benefited from the efforts of OIF, OpenZR+ MSA, and OpenROADM MSA to provide industry agreements on module specifications resulting in a diverse supply base. We have seen similar efforts to garner industry standardization as users transition to 800G MSA pluggables. There are three main elements that differentiate 800G relative to 400G and are adapted from previously developed performance-optimized solutions.

1. Interop PCS for Enhanced Performance
   A key difference between 400G and 800G interoperability approaches for an enhanced performance “ZR+” is that instead of using enhanced performance forward error correction, oFEC, to provide improved 400G performance, 800G uses industry standard interoperable probabilistic constellation shaping (PCS) for enhancing performance. PCS is a transmission shaping technique that provides additional link performance beyond traditional transmission modes such as 16QAM. Industry standardization of an interoperable PCS transmission shaping function, once relegated to proprietary performance-optimized transponder platforms including those for submarine applications, is a tremendous leap forward in the progress of MSA pluggable module capabilities. Multi-vendor 800G module supply chain diversity from a DSP ASIC perspective is possible when the 800G ZR+ performance enhancement mode utilizes the industry standard interoperable PCS mode.
2. High Baud Rate Design
   PCS is not the only technology that has been adapted from performance-optimized solutions for MSA pluggables. 800G as well as a 400G ULH pluggable solutions require a high-baud rate design operating in the Class 3 ~120+ Gbaud data rate range. Acacia’s performance-optimized CIM 8 module capable of 140Gbaud speeds has already proven that its deployed technology far exceeds the requirement for the new generation of MSA pluggables. Operation at these high baud rates benefits heavily from the advanced integration and RF signal optimization techniques that Acacia introduced in our 400G MSA pluggable product family.

Figure 2.  Tightly integrated components enable 120+Gbaud data-rate capabilities.

3. C & L Band Support
A third element of the latest 800G MSA pluggable generation that is borrowed from performance-optimized designs is the capability to transmit in the L-band wavelength range, in addition to the traditional C-band DWDM range. By adding L-band supporting infrastructure to a network, the network capacity is approximately doubled. Network operators now have an option beyond utilizing a transponder platform if they wish to use L-band expansion to increase network capacity.

Figure 3.  New generation of coherent MSA pluggable modules to take advantage of L-Band transmission window, adding to existing C-Band support.

Pluggable Interoperable Interfaces are Driving Adoption of 800G Modules
Acacia’s latest family of coherent solutions are powered by its 9th generation DSP ASIC called Delphi. These modules include support for OIF 800ZR, interoperable 800G ZR+ using the OpenROADM interop PCS mode, and 400G ULH for ultra-long-haul reaches. These modules utilize Acacia’s 3D Siliconization providing a highly integrated design enabling high-baud rate modulation. With support for QSFP-DD and OSFP form factors, as well as >+1dBm transmit optical power and L-band support, Acacia’s Delphi generation of products leverage the deployment successes of our performance-optimized CIM 8 module to provide MSA pluggable products that offer increased capacity and longer reaches.

Figure 4.  Acacia’s latest generation of MSA pluggable 800G and 400G ULH modules.

Similar to the successful path we saw 400G pluggables experience, these modules are delivering the performance and interoperability that is critical for driving economies of scale and widespread adoption. With data center bandwidth continuing to grow rapidly, fueled by emerging new applications such as AI, these high-performance pluggable modules are on track to become an important tool for network operators to cost-efficiently scale their networks to meet this surging demand.

See Us at ECOC 2024!
Acacia is excited to be participating in the OIF interoperability demo at ECOC 2024 showcasing both its 400G and 800G pluggables; demos will take place in the OIF booth #B83. Acacia will also be demonstrating the Interoperable 800G ZR+ module in our meeting room at ECOC. Click here to set up a meeting.

We hope to see you in Frankfurt!

I sat down with Argemiro Sousa, Chief Operations Officer for Equipment at Padtec, who shed some light on the development of this new product line and the company’s plans for the future. As Argemiro pointed out “The LightPad Max platform not only demonstrates our commitment to offer state-of-the-art innovative products, but it also furthers Padtec’s goal to extend our leadership in the Brazilian market while expanding our presence in the international market.”  This includes a focus on Latin America, the United States, Europe, and Africa.

Development Goals:  Performance, Time-to-Market, Form Factor and Robustness
As Argemiro explained, developing a new transponder is a long-cycle project and the transmission module is a key component for its success. Each year, coherent technology is improving its power consumption, advanced DSP algorithms and maximum GBaud rate. As the industry approaches the Shannon limit in fiber optics, these improvements are what make it possible to continue lowering the cost per bit in Padtec’s customers’ networks. Padtec chose Acacia’s CIM 8 because it enabled them to meet the following key requirements:

• Performance: Enabling channels with up to 140 GBaud is essential to continue reducing the cost per bit in DWDM networks. The minimum received OSNR required by the CIM 8 enabling rates of 400G and above, making these high rates feasible in ultra-long-haul and long-haul networks.
• Time to market: As an equipment manufacturer, Padtec starts developing its products before the optical modules are commercially available. “From previous experiences, we see Acacia as an aggressive player in getting to the market first and delivering cutting edge technology,” added Argemiro.
• Form factor: The CIM 8 is a module focused on performance and yet is pluggable. Since its transponder design considers two modules, Padtec can offer a pay-as-you-grow model to its customers.
• Robustness: Padtec needed a module that was highly reliable and had low rates of defect and they knew from experience that this was an Acacia strength.

Disaggregated Design Drives Cost Effectiveness in New LightPad Max Platform
Padtec’s goal with the LightPad Max was to repeat the success of its TM800G in Latin America by entering the Terabit era with a very competitive product that lowers total cost of ownership. Designed to optimize density and legacy compatibility, each line interface has 6 associated client interfaces capable of working both with 400GbE based on QSFP-DD and 100GbE QSFP-28 legacy interfaces, which are still prevalent in Padtec’s customers’ routers and switches.

One Product Family Spanning Multiple Markets
Targeting medium, long and ultra-long distances, the LightPad Max platform not only delivers scalability and cost effectiveness, but its disaggregated design also reduces space on customers’ infrastructure. And as a bonus, the standalone form factor makes the product more attractive to Alien Wavelength scenarios and the architecture is aligned to SDN technological trends.

Since the LightPad Max is a programmable transponder, operators can configure it with different rates and operational modes according to its needs. “This feature has great potential for the product to adapt to several network characteristics,” claimed Argemiro. “For instance, LightPad Max will make it possible to reach long haul and ultra long haul distances with 400G line rate, as well as higher rates of 1T or above in short distances such as data center interconnect scenarios.”

Padtec and Acacia’s Long-Standing Partnership
With the successful launch of the first LightPad Max family members, Padtec also plans to release future versions with advanced functionalities to be delivered by firmware updates throughout 2024 and 2025. The company already has agreements with some of its main customers to deploy in their networks.

At Acacia, we could not be more thrilled to see Padtec succeed on a global scale. We are also extremely proud of our long-term partnership, which dates back to 2016 when Padtec launched its 200G line cards based on Acacia’s CFP2-DCO.  Recently, these same line cards were adapted and qualified to use Acacia’s new generation 400G CPF2-DCO, based on the Greylock DSP.

Padtec was an early adopter of Acacia’s AC1200 module with its TM800G and TM1200G products, which Padtec has sold thousands of units of since 2020.  And we can’t forget our 400G pluggable family – the fastest growing coherent ramp-up of all time.  Padtec launched a disaggregated TMD400G standalone offering using Acacia’s 400G QSFP-DD OpenZR+ in 2023.

Lighting up the Future with Padtec Innovation and Customer Loyalty
Padtec ended 2023 with net revenue of R$ 368 million (US $70 million) which represented record gross profit and distribution of dividends. It was also the year the company saw a significant increase in its customer loyalty index, measured by survey based on the Net Promoter Score (NPS) methodology. Padtec achieved a NPS index of +77, a result that places it in the “Excellence zone.” This was a significant jump compared to 2022, when the company’s NPS was +55, and the highest historical level since the survey began in 2017.

As Argemiro explained, “The NPS survey showed that we are on the right path, by reinforcing our position of commitment to the success of our customers and investing increasingly in the technological evolution of our solutions and in expanding our service portfolio. The flexibility to meet customer needs, both from a commercial point of view and in the offering of products and services, is an important differentiator for Padtec that was recognized in this research. We are constantly seeking ways to expand and enhance our services, and as a result, we aim to serve our customers better with each passing day.”

Customer loyalty and technological innovation are clearly what drives Padtec day in and day out.  On behalf of the entire Acacia team, we look forward to seeing what the company achieves in the future and are excited to continue our trusted partnership to help them grow and succeed.

In celebration of Acacia’s 10-year anniversary this year, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to highlight some of the employees that have played a valuable role in Acacia’s success. Jim Duda, an ASIC architect, is a perfect example. Jim has been with Acacia since 2011, only two years after the company was founded. He was employee #45 and you can imagine that life at Acacia was much different than it is today with our current 400 employees.

The Early Days
When Jim joined Acacia, the company had just started developing its second DSP ASIC chip and was in a small office on the 2^nd Floor of the current Maynard building. Prior to joining Acacia, Jim was already at a job he liked a lot, but a friend who worked at Acacia convinced him to at least take an interview. And he was glad he did. “When I met with the ASIC team, I was instantly impressed by the people and the technology,” said Jim. And surprisingly, at the time there wasn’t even a spot for him so he was hired for something outside of his core competency. The team at Acacia then taught him what he needed to know to be successful. Jim said he felt a little bit like a grease monkey in those early days working with all these amazingly brilliant PhDs. However, the team was a dream team. “There was not one ego and every single one of us thrived on making each other successful,” he said.

The early days were fast paced. Jim was part of a small team so they all wore multiple hats and were constantly learning new things. “There was so much energy, and while we felt like we were under water most days, we all had faith in each other that we would all execute our parts,” said Jim. The management and PhDs were also there to help along the way. They regularly gave lectures around the technology, always trying to help employees learn more and be better at their jobs. “It was, and still is, a great place to work,” he added.

Chip Day
Looking back at his 8 years at Acacia, one of the things Jim has enjoyed the most has been Chip Day. “Chip day is the ASIC team’s Superbowl” said Jim. This is when the ASIC that Jim’s team tapes out comes back into the office. Jim says his wife even puts Chip Day on the calendar because she knows what an exciting event it is for Jim and his co-workers.

“The energy when that chip comes back is just incredible,” said Jim. “Following Chip Day, everyone works together to bring the ASIC up and running, and the adrenaline flowing throughout the company is amazing.” Jim says these chip milestones have been especially memorable at Acacia because all their chips have worked first time. “This is clearly the result of the engineering talent at Acacia, the way our whole company comes together and supports one another, and the policies and procedures we have developed to make sure everything goes as planned.”

When asked how he thinks Acacia’s chips compare to the competition, Jim was quick to point out how Acacia’s products have always had great performance and very low power. “I have always been proud of that,” he said. “We have developed a unique process that enables us to consistently deliver high-quality products with increasingly lower power.”

How Things Have Changed
When asked what things have changed in 8 years, Jim says it’s the availability of tools and resources. “We have been fortunate to grow at a steady pace, allowing us to invest in our infrastructure so that we can be more successful and more aggressive,” he said. However, while Jim says that they now have a lot more people and more expensive tools, they still have the same hard-working attitude and winning culture that was so apparent when he was just employee #45. They also still have one common priority: they know that in order for Acacia to succeed, its customers have to succeed first. “Whether you look back 8 years or back one day, we all would do anything to help our customers succeed,” he said.

Jim says he loves working in the Maynard area with all the shops and restaurants and he also really values working for such a great company. “Acacia is so much more than just a job,” said Jim. A perfect example is the personal trainer Acacia hired that runs exercise classes throughout the week. “This helps reduce stress tremendously,” he said. “Acacia really understands the mind/body connection and as a result, we all just love what we do. At the end of my day, I feel as though I just walked through the door, yet it’s already time to go home.”

When asked what wish he would send to Acacia for its 10-year anniversary, Jim reflected on the company’s history. “When we first started, we were huge innovators in our marketplace and we really disrupted how coherent technology would work. My wish is that Acacia expands our scope so we can become a disruptor in other markets as well.” Jim says he believes that could happen because Acacia still has the great people and technology it did in the early days.

Jim also had another wish for Acacia based on his own personal life. As a father of two girls and two granddaughters, he hopes to see Acacia and other companies in the telecommunications space become more gender diversified. Interestingly, a few days after this interview, Acacia announced that it had appointed Laurinda Pang to its Board of Directors. Clearly, Acacia is on its way to making Jim’s wish come true and we are proud to be a driving force for gender diversity in the optical communications industry.

Jim says that even after 8 years he still loves coming to work every day. “Not many people can look back 8 or 9 years and still absolutely love their job,” says Jim. “I have been at a lot of start-ups and Acacia ranks at the top of the list. And now, as a growing public company, I believe we have a plan, we are executing, and we are all enjoying the ride along the way.”

Advancements in silicon photonics are changing the optical networking industry. That change is in part fostered by the discussions and learning that happens at industry events. Chris Doerr, Ph.D., Associate Vice President of Advanced Development at Acacia, recently co-chaired the 15th International Conference on Group IV Photonics in Cancun, Mexico where they discussed the hottest silicon photonic trends. We asked him a few questions about the conference and the content he helped guide.

Q: You recently co-chaired the Group IV Photonics conference. Can you share some background on the event and your role there?

Chris:  I co-chaired the event with Milos Popovic from Boston University and helped set the agenda and recruit speakers for the three-day conference. The Group IV Photonics conference is an academically-driven industry conference that hosted approximately 90 attendees in Cancun this year. It is intended to deliver insights on current and future innovations in regards to photonics and to facilitate discussion among colleagues in the field. Representatives from companies like Intel, IBM and HP gathered alongside university experts from MIT and University of California – Santa Barbara for a single-session conference that encouraged open and honest conversation on industry’s latest innovations and challenges.

Q: What was the key theme of the Group IV Photonics conference?

Chris: We identified two core areas we wanted to address through session topics and plenary discussions at the event. The first addressed electronic-photonic integration. This essentially means identifying the best methods for integrating photonics. What was once seen as too expensive for wide adoption is now receiving renewed attention from companies. They are interested in uncovering best practices such as, how do you integrate electronics and photonics? Do you use the same chip, or do you co-package? Acacia demonstrated co-packaged optics and electronics on a ball-grid-array package last year.

The second plenary discussion was on a very hot topic at the moment – neuromorphic computing, which can be used for deep learning. We’re starting to see this technology applied to advanced technology, such as self-driving cars. For instance, it’s impractical to have a supercomputer in your car, but in order for self-driving cars to become commonplace, they need to be equipped with technology can differentiate between a person and a mailbox. Neuromorphic computing can do this faster, with a smaller computer and with less power.

Q: Why are conferences like Group IV Photonics so important to the future of the industry?

Chris: I’ve found that at these smaller industry conferences there is less noise to break through. Participants are more comfortable expressing their opinions and having open dialogues about what they are seeing and doing than they typically are at larger trade show events. These intimate events are better suited to candidly address industry-wide issues and other topics that might feel too sensitive to bring up at a larger conference where media and analysts are listening. It is an opportunity to focus on longer term innovations.

Q: How does Acacia and its innovations fit into the future of photonics?

Chris: We see more opportunity for applications of silicon photonics across industries than we did several years ago. The new developments discussed at the conference require more computational power than ever before, meaning more capacity and higher speed, and optical networks are necessary to share processing and information between computers.

Thank you to my co-chair and the rest of the event team for a wonderful conference, and I look forward to next year!

We are continuing our blog series spotlighting members of the Acacia team. It is an opportunity to share more about the Acacia manufacturing engineering process, our team’s work, and what keeps them up at night. Recently, we spoke with James Baker, Director of Manufacturing Engineering and Mike Shahine, Ph.D., Senior Manager of Product Engineering.

Mike Shahine and James Baker

Q: Why did both of you join Acacia?

Mike: We previously worked together at another optical networking company. We both wanted opportunities that would challenge us, expose us to new technology like silicon photonics, and to be part of a growing vibrant leader in the industry. We came to Acacia because it is an innovative company, especially in regards to advances in silicon photonics and Coherent DSP, and it presented the types of opportunities and challenges we were looking for.

James: When I first joined Acacia in 2015, I worked out of Hazlet, NJ in Acacia’s Silicon Photonics Center. Over time I shifted my scope to cover product engineering for module level as well. As my activities and teams evolved it made sense for me to relocate to the Maynard office.

Mike: After James joined Acacia we kept in touch. When James presented me with the opportunity to join Acacia and report to him – I accepted. I am excited to be a part of the Acacia team.

Q: What does your role entail on a daily basis?

James: As Director of Manufacturing Engineering, I work with teams across the entire Acacia organization with an emphasis on operations. I focus on engineering, quality, and managing contract manufacturers in Asia. I start the day on calls with Asia and then continue on with meetings with my other teams. Our discussions focus on a broad range of topics including PIC assembly processes, yields, debug/repair and making sure we are efficient as possible. When we talk about new products we discuss the full product life-cycle including the end of life transitions of products – cradle to grave. My position at Acacia keeps life interesting and energizes me.

Mike: As Manager of Product Engineering, I manage a team of five engineers. We are responsible for all module manufacturing improvements and product changes and we work with other groups to ramp product output. We focus heavily on technical issues and work closely with our contract manufacturers in China and Thailand.

Q: Talk to us about your team structure. How do they work together?

Mike: At Acacia, manufacturing engineering covers three areas: modules, PICs, and customer/RMFA support. The team is responsible at the module level – think AC400, CFP2, etc. – and for the silicon photonics stored inside. We work closely with our global co-workers and contract manufacturers in a collaborative environment.

I like that Acacia is a flat organization, meaning employees have the opportunity to work in several areas and become experts in certain products fairly quickly. Careers aren’t singularly focused on one specific area, which provides employees a broad view of available opportunities and the chance to map out their own career path; there is no rigid structure. This also means that we can find out what’s happening across the company by interacting with the employees around us.

James: Our team members often have many years of industry experience and when they first arrive at Acacia they are able to hit the ground running. We also value what junior engineers bring to the table and have seen an increasing interest from local college and university campuses in Acacia because our silicon photonics technology is exciting. Candidates are doing their industry research, identifying us as a leader in our industry and as a growing, vibrant company.

Q: What keeps you up at night?

Mike: Being proactive to keep things running smoothly.

James: Staying ahead. The Acacia executive team has their eyes on where the company needs to move to stay at the forefront. This maximizes the opportunities available for everyone in the company and improves our position as a leader of this technology.

At the end of last year, we announced general availability of our CFP2 module, which Cignal AI analyst Andrew Schmitt called “the darling device of 2H17.” Acacia designed this module to help cloud and telecommunications providers reduce operational and capital expenses, increase reach and accelerate time-to-market of high-capacity solutions.

These pluggable modules are suitable for a wide range of network applications, including data center interconnect, metro access, metro core, and long-haul, as well as emerging applications including remote PHY and client optical interfaces up to 80 km.Acacia CFP2 Coherent Module

Yesterday, Oclaro and Acacia announced that the companies are teaming up to enable a multi-vendor environment of fully interoperable CFP2 modules based on Acacia’s Meru DSP. I talked with John LoMedico, VP of Corporate Development, who worked with Oclaro to ink the deal to find out more.

John LoMedico, VP of Corporate Development, Acacia Communications

Q: What exactly are Acacia and Oclaro announcing?

Until now, Acacia has been the only provider of production CFP2 modules, having announced general availability back in December of 2017. Now, the supply chain will have a second source — Oclaro and Acacia have entered into an agreement that allows Oclaro to launch a new CFP2 module based on the Acacia Meru DSP that will feature plug-and-play compatibility with the Acacia CFP2 module.

Acacia Meru DSP

Q: What does this mean for customers?

It means that customers will be able to buy fully interoperable CFP2 modules from two prominent coherent optical module companies, thereby providing a more robust supply chain with two sources, which customers’ desire.

With this agreement, we believe we have addressed a significant adoption hurdle for those Tier 1 network operators who require multiple sources. Acacia and Oclaro believe that this collaboration will increase the pace of adoption and degree of penetration of the Meru-based CFP2 format worldwide, thereby enabling Acacia to accelerate the adoption of the CFP2 DCO form factor at 100G/200G.

Q: Will the Oclaro and Acacia modules have common specifications?

The companies are working closely together to ensure that the specifications are interoperable with common specifications.  The modules will be plug-in replacements for each other.

Q: Will modules from other companies interoperate with Oclaro or Acacia modules?

To ensure interoperability at the higher performing proprietary 200G mode, it is necessary to use the same Acacia DSP leveraging SD-FEC.

Q: What about at 100G mode? Are there no interoperable modes available for other companies using lower performance industry standard FEC?

Interoperability is possible in the lower-performing 100G mode using HD-FEC. However, we believe the majority of use cases for CFP2 modules will require the highest performance possible for metro and regional networks thereby demanding the use of SD-FEC. As such, interoperability at the higher performing and proprietary 200G mode is only supported between Oclaro and Acacia Meru-based CFP2 modules.

Q: Does this signal a transition of the Acacia model toward merchant chip sales?

Acacia has always selectively engaged in chip sales where we feel it is strategically beneficial. While sales to an interoperable module vendor is a new model for us, we entered into this agreement with Oclaro based on our determination that this should be an opportunity for us to grow our sales. In the short and mid-term, we don’t believe there will be a significant impact to our historical mix of module and component sales. Over time, if the collaboration meets our expectations, we could see an increase in the volume of DSP sales through the relationship. We have also talked about our standalone PIC sales potentially impacting the mix of modules and components over time, as well.

Q: Do you think this will open up new markets?

We have been hearing from network operators that they would be more likely to deploy a CFP2 solution, in metro core and regional applications as well as emerging cable access and 5G applications, if there were a second source. We also know that larger NEM customers tend to prefer a multi-sourced ecosystem.

With a multi-vendor environment, customers will be able to buy fully interoperable CFP2 modules from Acacia and Oclaro. We see this as an exciting opportunity for Acacia and we believe a multi-vendor environment will help accelerate the adoption of the Meru-based CFP2 modules.