SoftBank Corp. and NewPhotonics Announce Collaboration on Advanced Photonics Technology for LPO, CPO and All-Optics Switch Fabric Targeting AI-RAN

SoftBank Corp. (“SoftBank”) and NewPhotonics LTD (“NewPhotonics”), a leader in advanced integrated photonics, today announced a joint research and development collaboration on advanced photonics technologies for LPO (Linear-drive Pluggable Optics)^*1, CPO (Co-packaged Optics)^*2, and All-Optics Switch Fabric^*3. This photonics-electronics convergence technology with high-speed optical communication and Optical Switching Technology^*4 enables low latency and low power consumption in AI data centers and mobile fronthaul infrastructure. The technologies will support SoftBank in AI data center and mobile fronthaul infrastructure with NewPhotonics patented technologies coupled with its Photonics Integrated Chip (PIC) for reliable all-optics communication and optical fabric switching.

Targeting improved performance of GPU/CPU/switch fabric with PIC and low latency optical connectivity, the technology will also address power consumption and capacity bottlenecks in AI cluster workloads based on high-speed optical communication and optical switching technology. The patented NewPhotonics optical SerDes (Serializer/Deserializer)^*5 will enable higher density and low latency data transfer in mobile fronthaul and data center. Co-packaged advanced optical technologies deliver improved speed and energy efficiency crucial in data center re-designs underway for high performance compute and vector processing applications. In addition, the LPO technology realized by incorporating NewPhotonics' PIC into the optical transceiver is capable of longer distance transmission than existing LPO technology. By applying NewPhotonics' LPO technology to mobile fronthaul, it is expected to reduce processing delays, reduce power consumption, and extend long distances of transport equipment.

Ryuji Wakikawa, Vice President, Head of the Research Institute of Advanced Technology at SoftBank, said:
“We believe this partnership with NewPhotonics is necessary for our next-generation infrastructure. By collaborating, we envision a transformation in AI data center and mobile fronthaul infrastructure with optical-electronics convergence technologies that enhance speed, distance limits, capacity, and, most importantly, increase sustainability, giving SoftBank a significant advantage and market leadership.”

Yaniv Ben Haim, CEO of NewPhotonics added, “Our new collaboration agreement with SoftBank marks a significant milestone for our company and the industry to advance optical interconnect technology in CPO and pluggable that address the needs of modern compute and AI infrastructure. We remain committed to breaking the limits of optical communication with lowered latency and power at scalable distances. This partnership exemplifies our confidence in the impact of all-optical connectivity on the future of AI and 6G with our patented photonics innovations.”

[Notes]

1. *1
   An optical transceiver that does not use a Digital Signal Processor (DSP). In general, DSPs are required for high-capacity, long-distance transmission, which increases processing latency and power consumption.
2. *2
   A technology that incorporates optical components and semiconductor chips in the same package. It is possible to use optical signals instead of electrical signals for data input and output to and from the outside.
3. *3
   A network structure in which multiple network devices such as network switches and routers are connected to each other. It is used for high-bandwidth, low-latency data transfer.
4. *4
   A technology that branches and reroutes specific signals without converting optical communication signals into electrical signals.
5. *5
   An optical transceiver implementation that does not use a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), a high-speed optical interface connected to the ASIC core of a transmission device.

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