Marvell introduced two optical PAM4 digital signal processors (optical DSPs) for connecting data infrastructure:
Perseus – a 400/800 Gbps 5nm device that monolithically integrates the primary electrical components of a short-reach pluggable optical module — an optical DSP, a transimpedance amplifier (TIA) and a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) driver. Perseus, which is also available with an integrated silicon photonics driver, is optimized for both active optical cables (AOCs), which replace passive copper cables for connecting equipment within racks, and short-reach single mode and multi-mode optical interconnects for distances of five to 500 meters. Perseus is currently sampling.
Select features of Perseus include:
- Quad / Octal 100 Gbps/channel optical PAM4 DSP Support for both 400G and 800G optical module applications
- Low power Integrated TIA Integrated linear driver (VCSEL and SiPho PIC) CMIS compliant with advanced diagnostic features
- Supports independent lane operation
- Compatible with 800 Gbps QSFP-DD and OSFP optical modules for 800 Gbps applications and QSFP112 modules for 400 Gbps AOC/single-mode/multi-mode deployments
Spica Gen2 – an 800 Gbps 5nm optical DSP optimized for longer-reach connections such as the high-bandwidth optical connections linking servers within an AI cluster or the optical connections between racks in a hyperscale data center. Spica Gen2 enables pluggable optical module manufacturers to reduce the power consumption of products to below 12 watts, a 25% savings over the previous generation of devices. Spica Gen2 is now in volume production.
Select features of Spica Gen2 include:
- Qualified and proven 800G Spica DSP architecture for data center connectivity
- Support for 1x800G, 2x400G, 8x100G connectivity for 51.2T, 25.6T switches, and advanced AI/ML clusters
- Supports 100m SR8 and 500m DR8, 2Km 2xFR4 and 10Km LR8 optical modules
- IEEE, MSA and CMIS compliant DSP that supports all 200G/400G/800G based data center optical connectivity applications
- Low power DSP with integrated drivers supporting EML and Sipho
- Advanced diagnostic features that provide insights into the health of the network Support for bare die design for cost sensitive applications and small BGA package designs, for faster time to market
- Compatible with 800 Gbps QSFP-DD and OSFP modules
“Accelerated computing requires accelerated infrastructure,” said Xi Wang, vice president of product marketing for Optical Connectivity at Marvell. “Perseus and Spica Gen2 are the latest examples of our strategy to enable our partners and end users to continuously improve the efficiency, performance and resiliency of their critical assets while creating a platform for new services.”
