OIF Technical and MA&E Committees showcased four new projects at Q3 meeting

OIF wrapped its recent hybrid third-quarter Technical and MA&E Committees Meeting in early August by unveiling four new projects. The new projects included:

224G PAM4 protocol agnostic link training for electrical interfaces: Electrical interface link training holds considerable significance throughout the optical networking industry. The 224 G PAM4 protocol agnostic link training for electrical interfaces project will define communication method, messaging format and contents, training patterns, states and sequences, diagnostics and fault handling for link training of a 224G PAM4 class electrical link. The project aims to enhance overall link performance, a critical factor, particularly under challenging conditions, to establish a functional connection. As part of this initiative, the CEI (Common Electrical IO) framework will be expanded with an additional tool to encompass a comprehensive solution, reinforcing OIF's leadership in the electrical/SERDES domain.

1600ZR Project: The 1600ZR project will define a power-optimized solution for a multi-vendor interoperable 1600 Gbps coherent optical interface, focusing on Data Center Interconnect (DCI) scenarios. This Implementation Agreement (IA) will create a comprehensive electrical/protocol/optical framework that facilitates realization into pluggable modules. It will also establish a reference point for additional applications that contribute to the growth of the coherent ecosystem.

Data Center/Optical Network Coordination and Energy Efficient Interfaces: Unstable DCI links can lead to network issues such as jitter, intermittent disconnection, and bit errors, which can cause transaction failures in the financial industry are sometimes attributed. Fast fault detection and recovery of optical connections can be leveraged to address these issues and support new DC applications by coordinating between the application layer and optical connections in the DCI network. This project will result in a white paper that will delineate anticipated scenarios, crucial technical requirements, and potential multi-layer protection solutions and provide a comprehensive gap analysis regarding the coordination of storage and optical connections.

System Vendor Requirements Document for Energy Efficient Interfaces: This project will result in a requirements document for Energy Efficient Interfaces (EEI) through input gathered by system vendors from end users and provide a list of prioritized applications and a basic set of requirements for the next generation of energy-efficient electrical and optical links. A primary objective of this work is to guide the EEI Framework Project and future IAs based on the framework at the OIF or other standards organizations.

Ian Redpath, research director of transport networks and components for Omdia, who served as a guest speaker, praised the OIF’s efforts. He also spotlighted the Dempster Highway Fiber Project, an 800-kilometer fiber line that follows the Dempster Highway from Dawson City, Yukon, to Inuvik, Northwest Territories.

“During OIF’s recent Q3 member meeting, I was deeply impressed by the significant headway the organization has made in advancing CMIS, 800G ZR and 1600ZR solutions,” he said. “As evidence of OIF’s impact, 400ZR has reached high volume deployment, paving the way for 100G ZR, 400ZR+, 800ZR and now 1600ZR. It was also my pleasure to present to members Omdia’s update on the Optical Network Market and Technology, featuring the Dempster Highway-Canadian Arctic fiber build project.”

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