Acacia adds two modules to 400G QSFP-DD coherent pluggable optical transceiver portfolio

March 7, 2022

The new optical modules, both based on Acacia’s Greylock 7-nm digital signal processor (DSP), include the Bright 400ZR+ and a coherent 400G ER1 device.

Stephen Hardy

Acacia, now part of Cisco, has announced a pair of new 400G QSFP-DD coherent pluggable optical transceivers. The new optical modules, both based on Acacia’s Greylock 7-nm digital signal processor (DSP), include the Bright 400ZR+ and a coherent 400G ER1 device.
Customers with filtered (AWG-based DWDM) point-to-point applications have already expressed interest in 400ZR and Open ZR+ modules, Acacia points out. The Bright 400ZR+ QSFP-DD targets ROADM line systems, including those using colorless multiplexing. The module offers greater than 0-dBm transmit optical power and what Acacia asserts is “a high transmit OSNR.” The Bright 400ZR+ QSFP-DD module also supports OTN framing.
“Colt has successfully deployed 400G ZR+ on our IQ Network packet router backbone,” commented Danny Pinto, associate director, packet networks engineering at Colt in connection with the Bright 400G ZR+. “High-launch-power 400G ZR+ optics would be an important step change for IPoDWDM [Internet Protocol over Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing] deployments. This would enable IPoDWDM uses cases in meeting optical requirements of ROADM-based optical solutions and brownfield deployments.”
Meanwhile, the 400G ER1 QSFP-DD coherent pluggable optical transceiver offers client multiplexing, interoperability based on both OIF and OpenZR+ protocols, and reach to 40 km over unamplified links. Acacia foresees the ER1 400G module finding use in access, campus, and 5G networks.
Greylock success
The Greylock DSP has proven a winner for Acacia, according to Tom Williams, the company's vice president of marketing. The device has accounted for more than 50,000 port shipments, the vast majority within modules but some as a standalone device, Williams said. The company shipped more than 20,000 during Cisco’s most recent second fiscal quarter ending January 29, 2022. Most shipments target metro data center interconnect, although some service providers are looking at other applications (see, for example, “Windstream Wholesale runs 400G ZR+ transmission more than 1000 km in live network”).
For related articles, visit the Optical Technologies Topic Center.
For more information on optical modules and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer’s Guide.
To stay abreast of optical communications technology, subscribe to Lightwave’s Enabling Technologies Newsletter.

About the Author

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.

You can connect with Stephen on LinkedIn as well as Twitter.