Today, in the pursuit of extreme efficiency in ultra-large-scale data centers, traditional copper wire electrical interconnects are gradually hitting physical bottlenecks. To overcome this challenge, leading CPO (Co-Packaged Optics) company Ayar Labs and Wiwynn have announced a deep strategic partnership. The two companies will combine cutting-edge optical technology with next-generation rack architectures to jointly develop an optical interconnect system designed for the AI era, aiming to completely address bandwidth and power consumption challenges when handling massive data flows within racks.

Core Technology: Optical In, Copper Out, Vertical Expansion

The core of this collaboration focuses on Scale-Up (Vertical Expansion) within the rack. Traditional electrical signal transmission suffers significant loss at high speeds, while Ayar Labs' CPO technology stack—including the SuperNova laser and TeraPHY optical engine—enables optical signal conversion directly at the chip packaging level.

  • Low Latency and High Bandwidth: Optical interconnects offer much higher throughput than traditional solutions, meeting the stringent communication requirements between ASICs within a rack for large model training.

  • Energy Efficiency: By reducing energy loss caused by signal attenuation, it significantly improves the power usage effectiveness (PUE) of data centers.

Overcoming Deployment Challenges: From Cooling to Manufacturing

The collaboration between Ayar Labs and Wiwynn goes beyond theory, focusing on addressing practical pain points in ultra-large-scale deployment:

Fiber Management and Integration: How to scientifically layout complex fiber connections within the limited rack space.

Thermal Management Challenges: Combining Wiwynn's advanced all-liquid-cooled AI system to solve heat dissipation issues for high-performance chips and optical components.

Manufacturing Feasibility: Through standardized processes, transforming complex CPO technology into mass-producible industrial products.

The two companies plan to showcase this cutting-edge achievement at the OFC 2026 (Optical Fiber Communication Conference) from the 15th to the 19th of this month. At that time, the rack architecture supporting HVDC (High-Voltage Direct Current) power supply and the full liquid-cooled AI reference design will also be unveiled.