News: Optoelectronics
30 September 2021
Sivers to develop CW-WDM MSA-compliant DFB laser arrays supporting Ayar’s optical I/Os
Sivers Semiconductors AB of Kista, Sweden (which supplies chips and integrated modules) says that its subsidiary Sivers Photonics (formerly CST Global of Glasgow, Scotland, UK) will develop CW-WDM MSA-compliant laser arrays that support the optical I/O solution of Ayar Labs of Santa Clara, CA, USA, whose integrated optical I/Os are targeted at artificial intelligence (AI), cloud, high-performance computing (HPC), 5G, and light detection & ranging (LIDAR).
The announcement comes after Ayar Labs demonstrated what is said to be the industry’s first Terabit per second wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) optical link with its TeraPHY optical I/O chiplet and SuperNova multi-wavelength optical source, supporting high-data-rate advanced optical communication and computing applications.
Sivers Photonics reckons that its new InP100 platform will form a crucial part of the supply chain for the CW-WDM MSA (continuous-wave wavelength division multiplexing multi-source agreement), designing and manufacturing bespoke high-power distributed feedback (DFB) laser arrays that will support the ongoing development of Ayar Labs’ multi-wavelength optical sources.
The SuperNova multi-wavelength optical source is reckoned to be the first product compliant with the optical source specifications of the CW-WDM MSA, for which Sivers Photonics is also a promoter member. The CW-WDM MSA was formed to standardize CW-WDM sources in the O-band for emerging advanced silicon photonics (SiPh)-based optics applications that are expected to move to 8, 16 and 32 wavelengths, to support high-volume datacom optics in application areas including artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, and cloud data services.
“We have worked very hard creating this platform to support DFB array technology for CW-WDM MSA applications,” says Sivers Photonics’ managing director Billy McLaughlin. “Our InP100 platform is accelerating time to market for many silicon photonics applications. Our bespoke high-power DFB laser arrays are the perfect fit to serve Ayar Labs’ SiPh integration requirements for development in this high-volume market,” he adds.
“Ayar Labs was designated one of three companies in the 2021 Gartner ‘Cool Vendors in Silicon Photonics’ report,” notes Anders Storm, group CEO of Sivers Semiconductors. “Ayar Labs optical device technology will transform next-generation computing and Sivers Photonics is excited to be engaged in this new technology,” he adds.
“A strong ecosystem of partners and suppliers who deliver products based on the CW-WDM MSA standard is essential for the optical I/O market to meet the ever-growing bandwidth needs of data-intensive applications,” comments Ayar Labs’ CEO Charles Wuischpard. “Sivers Photonics’ bespoke DFB laser arrays based on the CW-WDM MSA spec are a critical component for our solution and move us one step closer to delivering optical I/O at scale.”
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