MultiLane unveiled its new Lightwave Component Analyzer (LCA) instrument family at ECOC 2025 in Copenhagen, targeting full high-speed production testing of optical engines. The first product in the series, the ML6404, can test up to eight lanes of an electrical-to-optical transceiver in parallel at frequencies above 60 GHz. The company said the system is designed to meet the needs of AI/ML network adopters that are demanding 100% testing of connectivity products to maximize yield and reliability.
The ML6404 aims to replace legacy DC-only tests, which often miss signal integrity issues that surface once optical engines are integrated into transceivers. Traditional at-speed testing has been constrained by long test times and the high capital costs of vector network analyzers. By delivering parallel lane testing at a lower price point, MultiLane is positioning its LCA family for mass manufacturing environments, especially as co-packaged and near-packaged optics (CPO and NPO) move into hyperscaler designs.
Sampling of the LCA platform begins in Q4 2025, with additional models expected in 2026. MultiLane is showcasing the platform with live demonstrations at ECOC 2025.
- ML6404 performs parallel testing of up to 8 lanes above 60 GHz
- Targets mass production of optical engines for AI/ML clusters
- Supports AC and at-speed testing versus legacy DC-only methods
- Addresses challenges of yield loss and costly vector network analyzers
- Additional LCA variants planned for release in 2026
“MultiLane is bringing sanity to pricing for optical component tests,” said Pavel Zivny, Director of Product Development for Time Domain Solutions at MultiLane. “With the LCA introduction, we’re closing another gap in the optical manufacturing process and levelling the playing field of production TCO for yet another part of the measurement market.”
🌐 Analysis: MultiLane’s move underscores growing demand for affordable, at-speed optical component testing in support of AI-scale data center architectures. With hyperscalers accelerating adoption of CPO/NPO, reducing testing costs is a key step to enabling mass deployment.
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