Broadcom has made a significant stride in the advancement of high-speed optical interfaces with the introduction of its 5nm 200G/lane optical PAM-4 DSP PHY, the Sian BCM85822.
Broadcom made the announcement at the 49th European Conference on Optical Communication (ECOC 2023), where industry experts gathered to discuss the latest breakthroughs in optical communication technologies.
The Sian BCM85822 stands out with its innovative features, including 200G/lane serial optical interfaces, which empower optical transceiver manufacturers to efficiently deliver 800G and 1.6T pluggable modules. This breakthrough addresses the burgeoning bandwidth requirements and emphasizes low power consumption for hyperscale data centers.
Key Features of Sian BCM85822:
# Monolithic 5nm 800G (8:4) PAM-4 DSP with integrated laser driver
# Unrivaled module performance in Bit Error Rate (BER) and power consumption
# Interoperability with Broadcom’s 200G EML
# Compliance with all IEEE and OIF standards, capable of supporting MR links on the chip to module electrical interface
# Support for optical modules ranging from 800G to 1.6T
# Adoption of IEEE compliant (128,120) Hamming Inner Code
With the escalating demand for bandwidth due to AI-driven workloads in hyperscale data centers, deploying 1.6T OSFP-XD transceiver modules becomes a critical solution, doubling the bandwidth capacity per 1RU without altering the existing infrastructure.
Broadcom said the Sian BCM85822 is optimized for the 1.6T OSFP-XD transceiver module design, promising to unlock a 51.2T switching capacity in a 1RU rack, significantly improving bandwidth density in hyperscale data centers.
Furthermore, Broadcom said the adoption of 200G/lane optical interfaces lays the groundwork for the future deployment of 1.6T and 3.2T solutions with 200G/lane electrical interfaces, essential for cloud providers to support next-generation switches and efficiently scale AI workloads.
Vijay Janapaty, Vice President and General Manager of the Physical Layer Products Division at Broadcom, expressed, “This latest generation of DSP operating at 200G/lane extends Broadcom’s leadership in high-bandwidth PHY and enables the lowest power optical modules in the industry. This, in turn, lays the foundation for next-generation switching platforms for AI/ML clusters and networks.”
Demo Showcase at ECOC 2023:
Broadcom will be showcasing its groundbreaking technologies, including the BCM85822 and 200G EML, within Eoptolink 1.6T DR8, 1.6T 2xFR4, and 800G DR4 optical modules. Attendees at the ECOC 2023 exhibition in Glasgow, Scotland, from October 2nd to 4th, will have the opportunity to witness live data traffic streams running between these optical modules, all connected to a Tomahawk 5 switch in an end-to-end link. The demonstration will be presented at Eoptolink Booth 432.
Broadcom is currently in the sampling phase for both the BCM85821 and BCM85822, available to its early access customers and partners. The BCM85821 is an 800G (8:4) PAM-4 DSP PHY without an integrated laser driver.
