It enables Ethernet-like links with 1, 2, 4, or 8 lanes for data centers, using low power, high port density, low cost, and low latency pluggable transceiver modules in form factors such as QSFP, QSFP-DD, and OSFP. The 100G-DR-LPO specification by the LPO (Linear Pluggable Optics) MSA defines 100 Gb/s/lane 53. 125 GBd PAM4 optical interfaces, optical links using standard single-mode fiber with up to 500 m reach, and host-module electrical interfaces for hosts with DSP based SerDes and RS(544,514) FEC. With an area of 103,000 square kilometers, roughly the same size as Hungary or Portugal, Iceland has about 376,000 inhabitants. The idea is simple: instead of a DSP (digital signal processor) inside the module – replacing it with transimpedance amplifier (TIA) and a driver chip with high linearity and EQ capability – LPO shifts signal processing into. Linear pluggable optics (LPOs) deliver exactly that.
[PDF Version]