Credo Technology Group Holding Ltd has unveiled the Dove 850, a pioneering 800G Digital Signal Processor (DSP) Integrated Circuit (IC) optimized for Linear Receive Optics (LRO), also known as Half-retimed Linear Optics (HALO). Designed specifically for hyperscale data center AI deployments, the Dove 850 addresses the increasing demand for high-speed optical transceivers and Active Optical Cables (AOCs) crucial for interconnecting GPUs in large-scale environments.
Key features of Dove 850
The Dove 850 is a unidirectional 8 x 112 Gb/s DSP tailored for the LRO architecture, offering a remarkable reduction in power consumption, up to 50%, compared to conventional optics. This innovation not only enhances energy efficiency but also ensures robust system performance, contributing to cost reduction – a pivotal factor in the mass production of optical components for hyperscale data centers.
Chris Collins, Vice President of Sales and Optical Product Marketing at Credo, emphasizes the Dove 850’s capability to reduce DSP power while providing an interoperable, easy-to-use solution for transceiver vendors. The DSP IC supports various optics, including VCSELs, silicon photonics, EML, or thin-film lithium niobate, allowing further cost optimization for module development.
Addressing limitations in linear pluggable 0ptics (LPO)
A Dove 850-based optical transceiver aims to overcome challenges associated with Linear Pluggable Optics (LPO) by ensuring IEEE compliant optical transmit signaling. This not only facilitates deployment but also eliminates manual, per-port tuning, resulting in lower bit error rates, enhanced sensitivity, reduced performance variation, and improved resilience to different environmental conditions and components.
Scott Wilkinson, Lead Analyst for Optical Components at Cignal AI, acknowledges the significance of Dove 850 in expanding the market for low-power 800GbE. While Linear Pluggable Optics (LPO) faced technical limitations hindering customer enthusiasm, Dove 850’s half-retimed solution addresses these concerns and is poised to play a pivotal role in the 800GbE market.
Technical benefits of Dove 850
The Dove 850 is IEEE 802.3 and CMIS 5.x compliant, supporting 8 x 112 Gb/s PAM4 on both the electrical host receiver and optical line transmitter interfaces. The copper-optimized DSP-based electrical host side receivers deliver industry-leading sensitivity and Bit Error Rate (BER) performance. With independent Phase-Locked Loops (PLLs) for each lane, the DSP supports breakout configurations, including 2 x 400G, 4 x 200G, and 8 x 100G.
Dove 850’s line side transmitters boast multi-tap Finite Impulse Response (FIR) filters and non-linear correction, facilitating the use of multi-mode or single-mode optics. The independent PLLs per channel allow flexible breakout configurations. Additionally, the DSP incorporates a comprehensive suite of link diagnostic features, simplifying lab setup and production testing.
