Timeline of Advancements in the Transition to Co-Packaged Optics

Early Adoption of Pluggable Optics

The journey toward Co-Packaged Optics (CPO) began with the widespread adoption of pluggable optical transceivers for lower-speed applications. In the early 2000s, Small Form-factor Pluggable (SFP) and SFP+ transceivers enabled 1G and 10G Ethernet applications, providing a modular approach to network infrastructure. These pluggable optics were ideal for data centers and telecom networks due to their ease of deployment, upgradeability, and compatibility with various networking equipment.

As bandwidth demands increased, higher-speed pluggable optics such as XFP and QSFP (Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable) became standard for 40G and early 100G applications. These early solutions provided flexibility and scalability but were constrained by power consumption and signal integrity issues as speeds continued to rise.

 

Emergence of Higher Bandwidth Transceivers

With the explosion of cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and high-performance computing (HPC), the industry introduced new transceiver form factors to address the need for greater bandwidth. Key advancements included:

• QSFP+ (Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable Plus) – Introduced for 40G Ethernet applications, enabling increased port densities in switches.
• CFP4 (C Form-factor Pluggable 4) – Designed for 100G networks, offering improved efficiency and reduced size compared to earlier CFP modules.
• QSFP-DD (Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable Double Density) – Supporting 400G and later 800G applications, this form factor increased the lane density, enabling higher data throughput.
• OSFP (Octal Small Form-factor Pluggable) – Developed for 400G and beyond, offering better thermal management and power efficiency.
• OSFP-XD (OSFP Extended Density) – Designed to further extend bandwidth capabilities for data center applications.
• QSFP-DD800 – The next evolution in pluggable optics, supporting 800G Ethernet for hyperscale data centers and AI-driven workloads.

While these advancements allowed pluggable optics to keep pace with demand, power consumption and thermal constraints posed challenges at higher speeds.

Penetration of On-Board Optics

To bring optical connectivity closer to the processing unit and reduce electrical losses, the industry adopted On-Board Optics (OBO) solutions. These included mid-board optics, which placed transceivers directly on the switch or server motherboard rather than at the edge of the equipment.

On-Board Optics helped improve signal integrity and reduce power consumption by shortening the electrical path. However, this approach still relied on traditional pluggable transceivers and required complex fiber routing within devices, leading to limitations in scalability and manufacturing complexity.

 

The Move to Co-Packaged Optics (CPO)

The increasing demand for energy efficiency and bandwidth scalability led to the transition toward Co-Packaged Optics (CPO). Unlike traditional pluggables which become unstable due to power and thermal constraints, CPO integrates optical transceivers directly with the switch or compute ASIC, eliminating the need for long, high-power electrical traces.

By eliminating high-speed electrical interconnects, CPO significantly reduces energy consumption per bit. Pluggable transceivers operate around 7W per module at higher data rates while CPO can achieve similar or better performance at approximately 3W per module. In addition to the lower power consumption, better thermal management can be achieved by distributing optical components around the ASIC optimizes heat dissipation and increases overall system efficiency.

As data rates scale to 1.6Tbps and beyond, greater lane density with improved signal integrity of the direct integration of optics with the ASICS become indispensable for Hyperscale Data Centers, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and High-Performance Compute (HPC). These benefits make CPO an ideal solution for next-generation high-speed networking environments where power efficiency and bandwidth scalability are critical.

 

SENKO’s Role in Enabling the Transition to CPO

SENKO Advanced Components has played a pivotal role in advancing the transition to Co-Packaged Optics by developing innovative optical connectivity solutions that address the challenges of fiber management, density, and reliability.

Senko participates in various market standard organizations such as IEEE, IEC, and TIA, as consortiums such as the QSFP-DD and OSFP MSA to better understand market trend and making contributions. In addition, SENKO is also contributing to the education of key members in the industry through participation in globally recognized forums such as the Optical Interworking Forum (OIF) and IOWN Global Forum.

Through these industry collaborations SENKO has pioneered the world’s first Very Small Form Factor (VSFF) connectors such as the CS, SN, and SN-MT connectors as a stepping stone to increasing fiber connector density. Further development produced the Metallic PIC Connector (MPC) to bring fiber closer to the chip, and ELSFP host and module connectors which enables externally mounted laser source which significantly improve thermal performance and long-term reliability in CPO architectures.

As Co-Packaged Optics continues to gain momentum, SENKO remains at the forefront of innovation, providing essential optical connectivity solutions that enable the transition to highly efficient and scalable network architectures.

Conclusión

The transition from early pluggable optics to Co-Packaged Optics represents a significant evolution in optical networking. As data rates continue to surge, traditional transceiver architectures face growing limitations in power efficiency and performance. CPO offers a promising solution, delivering unprecedented bandwidth and energy efficiency for future networking applications. With companies like SENKO leading the way in optical interconnect innovation, the industry is well-positioned to embrace the next generation of high-speed connectivity.