PODCAST: OIF on the optical networking interoperability opportunity

During the podcast we talked to two veteran members of the optical networking industry who are leading efforts at the OIF, including: 

Nathan Tracy, president of OIF

and

Jeff Hutchins, OIF Secretary/Treasurer & Physical and Link Layer (PLL) Working Group Energy Efficient Interfaces (EEI) Vice Chair (Ranovus)

In April, OIF showcased interoperability breakthroughs with live demonstrations and expert discussions at OFC 2025 in San Francisco. 

With participation from 35 member companies, OIF’s interoperability demos at OFC showcased seamless multi-vendor integration, driving high-performance networking, energy efficiency, and AI infrastructure.

Participants highlighted the latest 800G technology in the pluggable coherent optics demonstration; a live Common Electrical I/O (CEI)-448G, 224G and 112G demo advancing next-gen data center connectivity; Common Management Interface Specification (CMIS) plug-and-play interoperability; and Energy Efficient Interfaces (EEI) and co-packaging solutions for AI compute and external laser integration. 

Here's a timeline of the interview's key moments:

Opening | 0.00

Host introduction of guests | 0:20

Driving innovation and collaboration in the optical networking industry |1:15

Achieving energy efficiency | 3:21

Key expectations for 2025 | 3:41

The emergence of coherent optics | 7:27

OIF’s Common Management Interface. Specification (CMIS) | 9:50

AI’s impact on optical industry growth | 11:53

Collaborating with fellow industry consortia like OpenROADM and the Ethernet Alliance | 13:03

Final thoughts/closing | 16:20

About the Podcast 
In the Lightwave+BTR Broadband Pulse podcast, we address the key issues affecting the optical and broadband industry segments. Join us every week for insights from industry leaders on these topics. Visit our website at www.lightwave.com and click on our podcast site at www.broadbandpulse.podbean.com/.