Marvell, Lumentum, and Coherent have successfully demonstrated the interoperability of 800G ZR/ZR+ pluggable modules over transmission links up to 500km, marking an industry first. The demonstration showcased the ability of multivendor standards-based modules to meet performance requirements for regional data center interconnects. These pluggable modules, based on Marvell’s Orion 800G DSP, utilized 16-QAM modulation to achieve stable transmission over a 520km G.652 fiber link.
This breakthrough addresses the growing demand from cloud operators to scale their infrastructure for AI services, requiring efficient, cost-effective long-distance data center interconnects. By advancing pluggable coherent modules, the three companies are extending the application of these solutions beyond traditional short-reach scenarios, helping minimize the risk of vendor lock-in.
• 800G ZR/ZR+ pluggable modules demonstrated interoperability up to 500km.
• Modules based on Marvell’s Orion DSP achieved 520km transmission using 16-QAM modulation.
• Pluggable coherent modules enable cost-effective, long-distance data center interconnects.
• Reduced power consumption and enhanced bandwidth support AI-driven cloud infrastructure.
• The demonstration expands the use of pluggables beyond short-reach to metro and regional distances.
“Interoperable ZR/ZR+ modules like the Marvell COLORZ 800 are now available from multiple vendors to address the longer data center interconnect distances of cloud operators as they scale their infrastructure for the AI era,” said Stephen Adolph, VP of Marketing at Marvell.
“We’re excited to collaborate with Marvell on developing this latest generation of high-performance optics and pluggable modules,” said Wupen Yuen, President of Cloud and Networking at Lumentum.
“These results demonstrate interoperability at optimal performance for 800G pluggables and support a cost-efficient supplier ecosystem,” said Pranay Aiya, VP of Product Line Management at Coherent.
