Marvell Technology, a leader in data infrastructure semiconductor solutions, has announced Marvell Aquila, one of the industry’s first coherent-lite DSP-optimised for 1.6Tbps coherent optical transceiver modules operating at O-band wavelengths.
By combining advanced coherent modulation with scalable O-band optics, the Aquila DSP delivers a power and performance-optimised solution tailored for the emerging market for distributed campus data centre interconnects spanning up to 20km with high bandwidth and low latency.
The industry is shifting from large-scale facilities to campus-based data centres due to power and space constraints. While PAM4 interconnects remain the standard for inside data centre connections and coherent data centre interconnect (DCI) interconnects address regional data centre connectivity, both areas where Marvell is the industry leader, campus-based data centres require optimised interconnects spanning 2-20km, driving the need for coherent-lite technology.
Marvell, leveraging its unique expertise in both PAM4 and coherent DSPs, is leading this market transformation.
Traditional coherent DSPs are optimised for C-band tunable optics, which lack the scalability needed for high-volume data centre deployment. The new Aquila coherent-lite DSP introduces an innovative O-band coherent architecture that delivers cost efficiency, power savings and scalability, enabling the next generation of campus-based data centre connectivity.
“Interconnect bandwidth, data centre traffic and data centre capacity needs are all growing at accelerated rates because of AI, and operators are limited by the available power delivery in a single building,” said Xi Wang, Vice President of Product Marketing for Optical Connectivity at Marvell. “Aquila offers data centre operators a new, groundbreaking avenue for optimising their infrastructure for sustainability and developing campus facilities that can scale with their customers’ demands for cloud and AI services.”
Osa Mok, Chief Marketing Officer at TeraHop (previously known as InnoLight Technology), said: “The transition to distributed data centres is creating a growing demand for innovative solutions to address campus connectivity challenges. Marvell’s Aquila represents a significant step forward, bringing coherent technologies to this evolving market. By combining the advancements from Aquila with TeraHop’s expertise in coherent modules and scalable optical solutions, we are establishing a new standard for performance and efficiency in campus networks.”
Aquila is one of the latest members of the Marvell interconnect portfolio, optimised for specific use cases to help data centres maximise the utilisation and performance of their infrastructure while reducing overall cost and power per bit. The extensive 1.6Tbps portfolio also includes the Marvell LPO TIA and driver chipset; Ara, the industry’s first 3nm PAM4 interconnect platform; Nova family of PAM4 DSPs featuring 200 Gbps electrical and optical interfaces; and Alaska A PAM4 DSP for active electrical cables.
