News: Optoelectronics
31 March 2026
AOI showcases 25dBm ultra-high-power ELSFP for next-gen AI infrastructure
At the Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exhibition (OFC 2026) in Los Angeles (15–19 March), Applied Optoelectronics Inc (AOI) of Sugar Land, TX, USA (a designer and manufacturer of optical and hybrid fibre-coaxial networking products for AI data centers, cable TV and broadband fiber access networks) demonstrated how its solutions support modern data centers with the bandwidth, power and density needed for future AI systems.
AOI says that, over the past few years, it has strategically enhanced its portfolio to provide the high-performance optical sources required for the industry’s shift toward silicon photonics, near-packaged optics (NPO) and co-packaged optics (CPO) architectures. The firm recently celebrated plans to expand its domestic manufacturing capacity with a groundbreaking ceremony at the new 210,000ft2 facility near its headquarters in Sugar Land, where it expects to have the largest production capacity for AI-focused data-center transceivers in the USA.
At OFC, AOI showcased its transceiver range — from 100G to 1.6T, alongside a live 6.4T on-board optics (OBO) demonstration, powered by the firm’s 400mW external laser small-form-factor pluggable (ELSFP).
AOI’s 25dBm ultra-high-power ELSFP
At the heart of AOI’s next-generation showcase was the 400mW laser continuous wave (CW) for 25dBm ELSFP. This laser source provides the critical high-link-budget foundation required for CPO/NPO architectures. By combining extreme power with a hot-swappable, highly serviceable design, AOI says that it ensures the reliability essential for mission-critical GPU clusters.
“Reliability and performance are non-negotiable as the industry shifts toward more demanding GPU fabrics,” says Fred Chang, senior VP & North American general manager at AOI. “Our 25dBm ELSFP solution addresses these needs by providing the unmatched power and mission-critical reliability required for complex AI networking, offering a high-performance, hot-swappable solution that is ready to scale hyperscale infrastructures today.”
Additional booth highlights
AOI says that its 6.4T OBO high-density integrated photonics demo represented a key advance in AI networking. While the industry trends toward NPO and CPO, OBO provides an immediate, high-density solution for the signal integrity needs of hyperscale AI infrastructure.
Also on dispay at OFC were AOI’s 800G and 1.6T optical interconnects: Engineered for the extreme throughput demands of modern GPU fabrics, these provide the scalable bandwidth necessary to support evolving large language models and intensive AI training workloads.
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