Marvell offers power savings via 5-nm Spica Gen2 800-Gbps PAM4 DSP
Marvell Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRVL) says it is sampling the Spica Gen2 800-Gbps PAM4 DSP, which leverages 5-nm process technology to enable 25% power savings for 800 Gigabit Ethernet (800GbE) optical modules. The company also is offering companion transimpedance amplifiers (TIAs) and a driver.
The Spica Gen2 follows on from the original Spica DSP, based on 7-nm process technology and introduced in 2020 (see “Inphi offers Spica programmable 800-Gbps PAM4 DSP”; Marvell bought Inphi last year.). The move to 5-nm not only offers the 25% power reduction but lower latency and system implementation complexity, Marvell asserts. The Spic Gen2 PAM4 DSP will enable design of 800G QSFP-DD800/OSFP optical transceivers of less than 12 W. That 800G can come in the form of 1x800G, 2x400G, or 8x100G Ethernet with breakout.
The DSP is CMIS compliant, offers advanced diagnostic features, and comes with an integrated enhanced optical modulator driver.
“There is an ever-increasing need for higher bandwidth, lower latencies, and reduced complexities in managing data center infrastructure,” said Xi Wang, vice president of product marketing, optical connectivity at Marvell. “With the introduction of the Spica Gen2 5nm optical PAM4 DSP, Marvell is continuing to innovate and enhance the power efficiency with the 800G electro-optics platform while increasing bandwidth in the data center, which is crucial to achieving green and efficient data center architectures. Spica Gen2 enables lower latencies, higher levels of integration, and simplifies switch port management for next-gen cloud data center optical interconnects.”
“Demand for optical technology is expected to grow 14% per year through 2027, primarily driven by the projected sales of 800G and 1.6T transceivers as cloud providers and carriers enhance their infrastructures to meet customer expectations,” commented Vlad Kozlov, founder and CEO of Light Counting Market Research, via a Marvell press release. “Spica Gen2 is part of Marvell’s effort to raise the bar in terms of performance, power, and TCO to allow clouds to scale.”
Complementary devices
Marvell also has announced three companion linear TIAs and a linear VCSEL driver to complement the Spica Gen2. The IN5660TA is a 56-GBaud octal channel linear TIA for PAM4 optical modules. The IN5665TA and IN5669TA are each 56-GBaud quad channel linear TIAs. And the IN5614DV is a 56-GBaud quad-channel linear VCSEL driver for PAM4 optical modules.
The Spica Gen2 PAM4 DSP and the TIAs and driver are available now and sampling.
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Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave
Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.
Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.
He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.
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