Verizon Media completes 400Gbit/s ZR trial with silicon photonics from Inphi

23 Sep 2020

Based on existing SiPh 100G PAM4 Colorz platform solution for 80km DWDM DCIs in QSFP28 form factor.

Inphi, a Santa Clara, CA-based developer of high-speed data movement optical interconnects, and US communications giant Verizon Media have validated a “seamless upgrade” from 100Gb Ethernet QSFP28 optics, using Inphi’s Colorz silicon photonics platform, to 400GbE QSFD-DD over the same production Open Line System. the difference is made with Inphi’s newer Colorz II system.

The partners say the demonstration consisted of adding a 400ZR from an Arista 400G switch into a 100GHz DWDM channel without affecting any of the existing 100GbE wavelengths.

To build a better content delivery network, offering high-quality media to millions of users, Verizon Media says it needs to connect “super points of presence” (PoPs) with low-latency and high-capacity DWDM interconnects. The company is developing the disaggregation of optics, switching, and optical line systems in preparation for an expected “enormous surge” in data driven by applications such as cloud, HD video and 5G applications.

Both generations of Inphi’s Colorz optics enable data center connectivity directly from any switch or router port, allowing for the same density as client optics, while accelerating the paradigm shift to IPoDWDM. Based on existing 100GHz optical line systems, the Colorz II system increases fiber capacity from 4Tb/s to 16Tb/s while reducing power and cost per bit, says Inphi.

Nitin Batta, Principal Infrastructure Architect at Verizon Media, commented, “To ensure our content delivery network is ready for the web of tomorrow, we must stay at the leading edge of technology while remaining price competitive. The scalability and roadmap offered by the Colorz platform allows us to add terabytes of capacity in response to customer demands.”

’Scalable solutions’

Tomas Maj, Sr. Director, Marketing, at Inphi, said, “As data center network traffic continues to grow exponentially, it is critical for infrastructure suppliers to continue providing innovative scalable solutions. Colorz products open new possibilities for DCI total cost of ownership reductions, while providing a seamless upgrade path to 400G.”

Inphi says Colorz is the industry’s first silicon photonics 100G PAM4 platform solution for 80km DWDM DCIs in the QSFP28 form factor. Utilizing advanced Pulse Amplitude Modulation (PAM4) signaling, the transciever technology delivers up to 4Tb/s of bandwidth over a single fiber and allows multiple data centers located up to 80km from each other to be connected and act as a single data center.

Colorz II is the first 400ZR QSFP-DD pluggable coherent transceiver for cloud DCIs to major cloud operators and OEMs. The system enables large cloud operators to connect metro data centers at what Inphi says is “a fraction of the cost of traditional coherent transport systems and allows switch and router companies to offer the same density for both coherent DWDM and client optics in the same chassis.”