OFC 2024 Optical Communication Exhibition Review (I)

From March 24 to 28, 2024, the highly anticipated Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exhibition (OFC) was grandly held in San Diego, USA. The exhibition attracted more than 600 exhibiting companies and 13,000 industry elites from 74 countries to discuss the latest developments in the optical networking and communications industry. Numerous companies released cutting-edge technologies and innovative products on this platform, showing the vigorous vitality of the optical communication field.

HG Genuine and Marvell, the world's top DSP vendor, jointly released the next-generation 800G TRO (Transmitter Retimed Optics) solution. Hisense Broadband, on the other hand, jointly demonstrated the 800G OSFP SR8 high-speed module with ByteDance, which is the first time in the industry to realize the commercialization of a single-wave 100G high-speed optical signal 100m multimode fiber transmission specification.

Coherent demonstrated its QSFP-DD 800Gbps coherent transceiver module with multiple operating modes for efficient transmission in different network environments. Lumentum showcased a series of products including 200G/Lane Indium Phosphide (InP) devices and high-power DFB lasers, which provide strong support for next-generation 800G and 1.6T optical transceivers. Optical transceivers for the next generation of 800G and 1.6T, driving their widespread adoption in large-scale AI and Machine Learning (ML) applications. Broadcom demonstrated its leadership in optical networking and communications optical devices by announcing the mass production of 200Gbps per channel Electro-absorption Modulated Lasers (EML) and Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers (VCSEL). And then MACOM highlighted its innovative product solutions in optical and electrical chips, including 200G/Lane LPO solutions and 1.6Tbit active copper connectivity, and so on.

In addition, Acclink's MEMS series of OCS products, which can significantly reduce data transmission latency and energy consumption, aroused the industry's attention. The full series of 400G/800G/1.6T silicon optical modules released by Haiku Semiconductor, including 1.6T OSFP-XD DR4.2, 800G OSFP DR8, and 800G OSFP SR8, meet the demand of the explosive growth of AI arithmetic power.

The success of this OFC exhibition not only provides a platform for the industry to communicate and cooperate, but also further promotes the innovation and development of optical communication technology. In the future, these innovative products and technologies will be widely used in various fields to promote the continuous progress of the network communication industry.