What is the data center 25G/100G/400G optical module?

“For the first time in the optical communications industry, I must be able to hear the three words “optical module” often. Although it is only three words, it is a bit confusing. What is an optical module?

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For the first time in the optical communications industry, I must be able to hear the three words “optical module” often. Although it is only three words, it is a bit confusing. What is an optical module?

The English name of the optical module is: Optical Module. Its function is to convert electrical signals into optical signals at the transmitting end, and then transmit them through optical fibers. At the receiving end, the optical signals are converted into electrical signals. Simply put, it is a photoelectric Converted device. In terms of size, it is small in size and looks a bit like a USB flash drive for the first time. Don’t look at it although it is not big, but it plays a very critical role in the construction of 5G.

Traditional data centers are mainly based on 10G network architecture. However, with the continuous growth of data traffic, data centers are facing greater pressure. Therefore, it is imperative to upgrade related equipment. In the 5G era, the number of base stations will usher in a big explosion. At the same time, due to the rapid and violent growth of data in the 5G era, the performance and quantity of optical modules will increase greatly.

The 400G hot-swappable optical module is called CDFP. There are three generations of CDFP in history. They are divided into two card slots, half transmitting and half receiving. Many optical module standards for 10G, 40G, 100G, and 400G are proposed by the IEEE 802.3 working group. In addition, there is also an MSA protocol. The biggest difference from IEEE is that the multi-source agreement MSA is more like a private non-official organization form, and different MSA agreements can be formed for different optical module standards. It is precisely because of the standardization of standards that today, optical modules are unified in structural packaging, product dimensions, and interface methods.

At present, data center operators such as Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Facebook are rapidly building their own data centers to increase the transmission rate by using 100G/400G optical modules. Construction costs, space usage, and operating power consumption are all issues that operators have to face squarely. In addition to the requirements on the optical module, the cloud data center also needs to increase the data throughput on the installed optical fiber, so that the functions of the data center can be brought into full play.