The company’s new TS8401/02 intelligent 400G (4x100G) PAM4 modulator driver is the industry’s first CMOS solution with digital link training and link monitoring for 800G linear pluggable optical (LPO) modules.
This innovation looks poised to set new optical interconnect standards in power efficiency, low latency, and reliability for self-optimising intelligent components for AI deployments in data centres.
The intelligent modulator driver has been designed to address the limitations of traditional LPO modules, which unlike DSP-based re-timers, have lacked the capabilities for automatic adaptation, digital link monitoring and link training, making them challenging to integrate, interoperate, and deploy efficiently.
By leveraging the existing microcontroller (MCU) in the LPO module, the TS8401/02 can automate essential adjustments and introduces link diagnostics and link accountability, transforming LPO modules into adaptive link optimising systems.
Central to the TS8401/02 IRD's design is its intelligent monitoring, diagnostics, and automation capabilities. It introduces an array of industry-first features, including digital eye monitor for real-time link performance measurements and link training with host SerDes, setting a new industry standard for optical module performance and reliability.
In what is being described as a ‘breakthrough’ this facilitates a closed-loop system that not only identifies but also rectifies link issues in real time, ensuring uninterrupted, high-quality data transmission across the board.
The advanced CMOS implementation also reduces power consumption by as much as 50% compared to existing Silicon Germanium (SiGe) solutions and significantly boosts link reliability and performance through statistical link monitoring and adaptive control capabilities.
“TeraSignal’s intelligent CMOS solution for LPO modules redefines high-speed interconnects, merging low latency and power efficiency with unmatched link performance measurement capabilities, diagnostics, and quick time to market,” said Dr. Armond Hairapetian, founder and CEO of TeraSignal. “We are committed to delivering IRD solutions with superior performance over both fibre and copper interconnects.
“By incorporating intelligence within the re-driver, we have introduced a new class of AI-centric CMOS devices that offer DSP-like features with significantly lower power and the lowest possible latency, setting what believe to be a new industry standard for high-speed interconnects.”
TeraSignal is now shipping samples of the TS8401 and TS8402 re-drivers to early access customers and partners.
