The Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) is set to demonstrate groundbreaking interoperability at OFC 2025 in San Francisco from April 1-3. With participation from 35 member companies, OIF’s interoperability showcase in Booth 5745 will highlight seamless multi-vendor integration, driving high-performance networking, energy efficiency, and AI infrastructure advancements.
Key highlights include the latest 800G technology in pluggable coherent optics, a live demonstration of Common Electrical I/O (CEI)-448G, 224G, and 112G for next-gen data center connectivity, Common Management Interface Specification (CMIS) plug-and-play interoperability, and pioneering Energy Efficient Interfaces (EEI) and co-packaging solutions essential for AI compute and external laser integration.
OIF will also lead and participate in expert panels covering AI networking, optical interconnects, scalable architectures, and advancements beyond 200 Gb/s signaling.
“OIF’s live interoperability demonstrations at OFC 2025 are the result of months of dedicated collaboration among our member companies, reflecting the immense effort required to bring these cutting-edge technologies to life in a real-world, multi-vendor environment,” said Jeff Hutchins, OIF Physical & Link Layer (PLL) Working Group EEI Vice Chair and Secretary/Treasurer (Ranovus). “Interoperability isn’t just a goal—it’s a necessity for scaling next-generation networks. These demos provide the industry with a firsthand look at the progress being made to ensure seamless integration across coherent optics, electrical interfaces, next-generation EEI, ELSFP, CMIS, and beyond.”
Live Interoperability Demonstrations at OFC 2025
With AI, cloud expansion, and disaggregated architectures reshaping connectivity, OIF’s Booth 5745 demo will provide an in-depth look at the technologies that will define the next decade of networking:
800ZR, 400ZR, and Multi-Span Optics – Optical Breakthroughs
The pluggable coherent optics demonstration will showcase advancements in interoperability, including expanded 800ZR multivendor DSP interop and OIF’s foundational 400ZR application. Multi-span connections include OpenZR+, 100ZR, and 800G OpenROADM (PCS) over multiple networks, featuring booth-to-booth collaborations with the Ethernet Alliance and OpenROADM MSA.
CEI-448G, 224G, and 112G – Future-Ready Data Centers
OIF is uniting interoperability and innovation at the electrical interface with a suite of 224Gbps and 112Gbps CEI multi-vendor demonstrations. The 448G demo highlights how hyperscalers can scale AI networks, while previous CEI-224G demonstrations continue to expand with diverse link types from Very Short Reach (VSR) to Long Reach (LR) and Linear interfaces. A joint demonstration with the EEI track will explore retimed, half-retimed (RTLR), and unretimed (Linear) pluggable optics with interoperability across multiple vendors.
CMIS – Enabling Multi-Vendor Interoperability
OIF members will demonstrate physical layer management interoperability via CMIS across network equipment and pluggable modules, including transceivers and cables. This demo highlights CMIS as a common management interface for network control, ensuring seamless interoperability among diverse network components.
EEI and Co-Packaging – Revolutionizing Connectivity
OIF members will present next-generation EEI solutions for AI compute alongside live demonstrations of External Laser Small Form-Factor Pluggable (ELSFP) solutions, which play a crucial role in co-packaged architectures.
OIF Member Companies Participating in the Demos
Participants in OIF’s OFC 2025 demos include: Accelight Technologies, Inc., Adtran, Alphawave Semi, Anritsu Corporation, AOI, Astera Labs, Cadence Design Systems, Inc., CICT/Accelink, Ciena, Cisco, Coherent Corp., Eoptolink Technology, EXFO, HGGenuine, Hisense, Infinera (now part of Nokia), Juniper Networks, Keysight Technologies, Lessengers, MACOM Technology Solutions, Marvell, Molex, MultiLane, Nubis Communications, Inc., O-Net Technologies, Precision Optical Technologies, Inc., Samtec, Semtech, Senko Advanced Components, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Synopsys, Inc., TE Connectivity, TeraHop US, US Conec, and Wilder Technologies.
OIF at OFC 2025: Show Floor Program Panels
In addition to live demonstrations, OIF will lead and participate in expert panel discussions on key industry topics:
Coherent Optics Unleashed: 400ZR Success to 800ZR/LR Advancements and 1600ZR/ZR+ Kick-off – An OIF Update
Date: Wednesday, April 2
Time: 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM PT
Location: Theater I
Moderator: Karl Gass, OIF PLL Working Group Optical Vice Chair
Panelists: Josef Berger (Marvell), Doug Cattarusa (Cisco), Sebastien Gareau (Ciena), David Hillerkuss (Nokia), and Jason Wang (Google)
Optical Interconnects for AI
Date: Thursday, April 3
Time: 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM PT
Location: Theater II
Moderator: Tom Issenhuth, OIF Market Awareness & Education Committee Co-Chair PLL (Huawei Technologies, Inc.)
Panelists: Ashkan Seyedi (Nvidia), Chris Cole (Coherent), Jeff Hutchins (Ranovus), and Tom Palkert (MACOM)
Moving Beyond 200 Gb/s Signaling and the Future of AI Systems
Date: Thursday, April 3
Time: 1:45 PM – 2:45 PM PT
Location: Theater I
Panelist: Nathan Tracy, OIF President (TE Connectivity)
For more details about OIF at OFC 2025, visit: OIF at OFC 2025.
