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Optical modules are the core components that realize the conversion between optical signals and electrical signals in optical communication systems. The transmitting end of the optical module converts electrical signals into optical signals, which are transmitted through optical fibers, and then the receiving end converts the optical signals back into electrical signals. As one of the basic units of communication networks, optical modules are key components of infrastructure such as data centers and base stations.
Optical modules can be classified from multiple dimensions. Rate, form factor, transmission distance, and wavelength are the four core categories in the communication field. The following are the frequently used classifications and key parameters in practical operations, suitable for equipment selection and testing scenarios.
Core Distinction: Adapt to the port rate of switches/routers/optical transceivers, with the unit of Gbps/10Gbps, supporting downward compatibility.
Core Distinction: Module size and interface type determine whether it can be inserted into the equipment slot (e.g., SFP slots only support SFP form factor).
Core Distinction: Transmitting optical power and receiving sensitivity, strongly bound to optical fibers (single-mode/multi-mode).
Core Distinction: Wavelength of optical signals, corresponding to the low-loss window of optical fibers; single-mode/multi-mode optical fibers are adapted to fixed wavelengths.
Current Status: Large-scale deployment has been achieved across the industry, serving as the backbone of the spine-leaf architecture in hyperscale data centers. Meanwhile, it is being popularized in small and medium-sized enterprise data centers and edge computing nodes. Adopting the QSFP-DD form factor, it boasts a mature supply chain and significant cost-performance advantages.
Implementation Method: Mainly based on 4X100G wavelengths or 8x50G fiber channels, the technical solution is stable and reliable, compatible with most existing network equipment.
Current Status: 2025 marks the first year of large-scale popularization of 800G optical modules. No longer limited to leading AI training clusters, they have been widely applied in scenarios such as backbone networks of medium and large cloud service providers, High-Performance Computing (HPC) centers, and AI inference nodes, becoming the core choice to meet the high-density interconnection needs of GPU clusters.
Implementation Method: The mainstream adopts 8x100G channels, and the QSFP-DD form factor continues to dominate the market. Some manufacturers have launched more compact packaging solutions, further optimizing compatibility with 400G infrastructure and lowering the upgrade threshold.
Outlook: It entered the initial commercial stage in 2025, with leading cloud service providers and supercomputing centers starting small-batch pilot deployments, and large-scale volume is expected in 2026. It retains the pluggable module form, with OSFP-XD/OSFP-HS form factors becoming the mainstream choice.
Challenges: Core challenges focus on cost control and power consumption optimization. Through the large-scale application of silicon photonics technology and advanced DSP chips, the goal of "doubling the rate without increasing power consumption" is gradually achieved.
Outlook: In 2025, many manufacturers completed the development and performance testing of 3.2T optical module prototypes and began joint verification with leading data center customers, with initial commercialization expected in 2027. 3.2T will become the technical limit of pluggable optical modules, posing extreme challenges to SerDes rate, chip power consumption, and heat dissipation.
Form Factor: The traditional pluggable architecture is approaching its performance limit at the 3.2T rate. Co-Packaged Optics (CPO) technology achieved key technological breakthroughs in 2025, becoming the core candidate solution for 3.2T and higher rates.
Rate improvement is not a simple numbers game; it is backed by the integrated innovation of a series of cutting-edge technologies:
PAM4 (Four-Level Pulse Amplitude Modulation) has become the standard technology for 800G and higher rates. It was further optimized in 2025, with continuous improvements in anti-interference capability and transmission efficiency, laying the foundation for the commercialization of 1.6T.
In 2025, DSP chip performance achieved a leap-forward improvement, supporting more complex signal compensation algorithms while reducing power consumption by more than 20%, becoming the core support for the commercialization of 1.6T optical modules.
InP: It remains the core solution for high-performance optical modules, maintaining performance advantages at the 1.6T rate. Costs are gradually decreasing through large-scale production.
SiPh: It entered the large-scale application stage in 2025, with the shipment proportion of 800G silicon photonics optical modules exceeding 30%. With its advantages of high integration and low cost, it has become the key technical path for cost reduction and efficiency improvement of 1.6T optical modules.
In 2025, the SerDes channel rate of switch ASIC chips fully entered the 224G era, and some manufacturers have launched 320G SerDes prototypes, providing underlying support for 1.6T (8x200G) and 3.2T (16x200G) optical modules.
