SoftBank Corp. and NewPhotonics LTD have announced a joint research and development collaboration aimed at advancing photonics technologies for next-generation data centers. The collaboration focuses on the development of Linear-drive Pluggable Optics (LPO), Co-packaged Optics (CPO), and All-Optics Switch Fabric, which enable low latency and low power consumption in AI data centers and mobile fronthaul infrastructure.
SoftBank aims to enhance its AI data center and mobile fronthaul infrastructure by leveraging NewPhotonics’ patented technologies and photonics integrated chip (PIC) for reliable all-optics communication and optical fabric switching. The collaboration aims to improve the performance of GPU/CPU/switch fabric with PIC and address power consumption and capacity bottlenecks in AI cluster workloads through high-speed optical communication and optical switching technology.
NewPhotonics’ optical SerDes (serializer/deserializer) technology will enable higher density and low latency data transfer in mobile fronthaul and data centers. The incorporation of NewPhotonics PIC into the optical transceiver will also enable long-distance transmission, surpassing existing LPO technology. This advancement is expected to reduce processing delays, power consumption, and extend the distances of data transport equipment in mobile fronthaul.
Ryuji Wakikawa, Head of SoftBank Research Institute of Advanced Technology, expressed the belief that the partnership with NewPhotonics is crucial for the next generation of infrastructure. The collaboration aims to transform AI data center and mobile fronthaul infrastructure with optical-electronics convergence technologies, enhancing speed, distance limit, capacity, and sustainability, thereby giving SoftBank a significant advantage and market leadership.
Yaniv Ben Haim, CEO of NewPhotonics, emphasized the significance of the collaboration agreement with SoftBank in advancing optical interconnect technology for modern compute and AI infrastructure. NewPhotonics remains committed to pushing the boundaries of optical communication by reducing latency and power consumption at scalable distances. The partnership exemplifies their confidence in the impact of all-optical connectivity on the future of AI and 6G with their patented photonics innovations.
SoftBank Corp., guided by its corporate philosophy of “Information Revolution – Happiness for everyone,” operates telecommunications and IT businesses in Japan and globally. The company is expanding into non-telecom fields while further growing its telecom business through the power of 5G/6G, IoT, Digital Twin, and Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) solutions.
NewPhotonics is a fabless semiconductor company based in Tel Aviv, Israel, specializing in designing, developing, and manufacturing photonic integrated circuits (PIC) that revolutionize optical connectivity and processing for networking and compute data transmission.