Technology to tackle massive increases in traffic and power consumption

To solve the social issue of huge increases in data center traffic and the accompanying increase in power consumption, Co-Packaged Optics (CPO), On Board Optics (OBO), and the IOWN (Innovative Optical and Wireless Network) concept advocated by NTT are attracting attention. Hakusan Inc. is bringing innovation to next-generation communication infrastructure through its "CMF ^® (ceramic Multifiber ferrule)" and" MTHR (reflow-resistant MT Ferrule) ^®"that support these technologies.

Next-generation communication technology: CPO, OBO, IOWN concepts

Advances in AI and the rapid spread of cloud services are accelerating the number of data centers and the volume of traffic. As a result, it is predicted that the power consumption of data centers will increase by more than 160% by 2030. There are concerns that this increasing energy burden will not only pose an environmental problem, but also lead to a significant increase in operating costs.

To solve these issues, the following next-generation technologies are attracting attention:

1. CPO (Co-Packaged Optics) and OBO (On Board Optics)
   • By integrating the optical engine and switch ASIC on the same board, CPO shortens wiring distances and significantly reduces power consumption, while enabling high-bandwidth, low-latency communications, improving data center efficiency.
     
   • OBO mounts optical modules directly onto the board, enabling a more compact and efficient design, making effective use of limited space in data centers.
     
2. NTT's IOWN concept and Photonics-Electronics-Convergence devices
   • The IOWN concept aims to dramatically improve network performance by integrating optical and electrical technologies. In particular, it will play a role in supporting the next-generation data communications infrastructure as a foundation for achieving energy-saving and large-capacity data transmission.
     
   • Photonics-Electronics-Convergence devices directly convert optical and electrical signals, significantly reducing power consumption and enabling high-speed data processing compared to existing technologies, thereby resolving the challenges of high-efficiency, high-density design faced by cloud service providers and optical transceiver manufacturers.

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Hakusan ^Solutions: ^CMF® and MTHR

Hakusan Inc. provides innovative products that support the CPO, OBO, and IOWN concepts.
These are "CMF ^® (ceramic Multifiber ferrule)" and "MTHR ^® (reflow-resistant MT Ferrule)."

1. CMF ^® (Ceramic Multifiber Ferrule)
   • Environmental resistance: Able to withstand high temperature, high humidity environments and reflow processes at 260°C.
   • Flexible design: Fiber hole diameter and pitch can be adjusted to meet a variety of design needs.
     
2. MTHR ^® (Reflow-resistant MT Ferrule)
   • High-precision splicing: The precision of the fiber hole position keeps Insertion Loss to less than 0.35 dB.
   • Excellent reflow resistance: No dimensional fluctuation even after reflow, maintaining high precision.

These products serve as optical connectors with the reflow resistance required for CPO, helping to maximize the performance of the optical engine.

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The future envisioned by CMF and MTHR

Hakusan 's CMF and MTHR are designed as key optical connection components to realize the CPO, OBO, and IOWN concepts. These technologies enable cloud service providers and optical transceiver manufacturers to build sustainable and efficient communication infrastructure.

Let's solve the social issues of increasing traffic and power consumption and build a future that will shape the next generation of communication infrastructure together. Please check how Hakusan 's innovative technology can help solve your company's problems.

For more details, please contact us via Contact Us.

reference

• OIF-Co-Packaging-FD-01.0 – Co-Packaging Framework Document (OIF, February 2022)
• OIF-Co-Packaging-3.2T-Module-01.0 – Implementation Agreement for a 3.2Tb/s Co-Packaged (CPO) Module (OIF, March 2023)
• Design Considerations of Optical Connectivity in a Co-Packaged or On-Board Optics Switch(COBO, 2022)
• Photonics-Electronics-Convergence device technology - New devices enable high-capacity transmission and low power consumption in communications and computing - (NTT official website)