Marvell Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRVL) says it has begun sampling its new Marvell Nova 1.6-Tbps PAM4 electro-optics platform. Comprising a DSP with a 200G per channel line-side transmitter interface designed to support a wide range of high-speed lasers, a 200G per channel line-side receiver with companion Marvell 112-Gbaud TIAs, integrated laser drivers, and latency-optimized FEC, Marvell sees the Nova platform as an enabler of 1.6-Tbps OSFP-XD optical transceivers for 51.2-Tbps networking architectures.
The company asserts that the Nova PAM4 DSP will enable optical modules with double the networking bandwidth and a 30% reduction in power and cost per bit versus those based on Marvell’s previous generation technology. Meanwhile, doubling the bandwidth per wavelength should reduce the number of lasers and related optical components by 50% while offering twice the reliability of current alternatives.
Optical modules based on the Nova DSP will support 51.2-Tbps switching requirements in 1RU platform configurations, Marvell states. Pairing such modules with Marvell’s new Teralynx 10 51.2-Tbps switch chip will reduce verification and interoperability testing requirements between the switch and optics in such applications, the company points out.
“Marvell’s Nova platform is a significant milestone in optical connectivity innovation, offering the bandwidth, power reduction, and system efficiency that will enable us to deliver next-generation pluggable transceiver performance,” said Osa Mok, chief marketing officer at optical module vendor InnoLight Technology, via a Marvell press release. “Nova’s proven PAM4 DSP technology, TIAs, and drivers bring a reliable solution that will help us speed time to market and advance the 1.6-Tbps optical ecosystem as AI workloads ramp in the data center.”
“Optical modules are the critical link inside the data center to keep data moving. They are one of the unsung heroes of data infrastructure,” added Vlad Kozlov, founder and CEO of LightCounting Market Research, via the same press release. “Nova extends Marvell’s track record of leadership in optical DSPs and provides a path for cloud data center operators to increase their network capacity while reducing cost, power and maintenance per bit. Technology like this will be instrumental in the upcoming upgrade to 51.2-Tbps switching.”
Marvell will showcase the new Nova and Teralynx 10 platforms along with other products in its portfolio at OFC in San Diego, March 7-9, 2023, in Booth #4326.
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