Marvell Technology announced an expanded portfolio of 1.6 Tbps optical digital signal processors (DSPs) aimed at accelerating the transition from 800G to 1.6T connectivity in AI-driven data center networks. The new devices, built on a 3nm process, introduce application-specific DSP designs optimized for different deployment scenarios across hyperscale and cloud infrastructure. Marvell said the additions improve power efficiency, resilience, and design flexibility while addressing the rapidly increasing bandwidth demands created by large-scale AI clusters.
The new portfolio includes four devices targeting high-volume optical interconnect use cases. Ara T is positioned as the industry’s first 8×200G transmit-retimed optics (TRO) DSP designed to reduce power consumption and lower total cost of ownership in high-speed optical modules. Ara X introduces enhanced link reliability capabilities intended to increase optical network resilience. Petra serves as a 3nm gearbox that converts 8×100G lanes to 4×200G, enabling more flexible infrastructure designs and higher power efficiency. Aquila M targets coherent-lite applications, adding O-band optimization and integrated MACsec security for next-generation optical links.
Marvell said the new DSPs extend a multi-generation roadmap that began with its Nova 200G/lane DSP platform in 2023 and continued with the 3nm Ara platform introduced in 2024. The Ara devices are now shipping in volume to hyperscale and cloud customers deploying 1.6T pluggable optics for AI data centers. The company positions the expanded portfolio as part of a broader connectivity stack that spans DSPs, SerDes, Ethernet PHYs, switching silicon, optical drivers, TIAs, silicon photonics light engines, and the RELIANT interconnect telemetry platform.
- Ara T: 8×200G transmit-retimed optics (TRO) DSP optimized for power efficiency and lower system cost
- Ara X: 1.6T DSP with advanced link reliability features designed to improve optical network resilience
- Petra: 3nm gearbox converting 8×100G to 4×200G lanes for flexible infrastructure design
- Aquila M: O-band coherent-lite optical DSP with integrated MACsec security
- All devices sample to customers beginning in Q1 2026
- Marvell will demonstrate the portfolio at OFC 2026 at booth #1600 in Los Angeles
“Marvell pioneered PAM DSP technology, and we continue to lead with advanced SerDes and production-proven 800G platforms. We are now extending that multi-generational product leadership into the 1.6T era,” said Xi Wang, senior vice president and general manager of the Connectivity Business Unit at Marvell.
🌐 Analysis: The transition from 800G to 1.6T optical modules is accelerating as hyperscale AI clusters scale beyond hundreds of thousands of GPUs and XPUs. These environments require massive bandwidth density and energy efficiency improvements in optical interconnects, driving demand for 200G-per-lane DSP architectures and advanced SerDes technologies. Marvell, Broadcom, and other DSP vendors are competing to define the next generation of optical module architectures supporting 1.6T pluggables and future 3.2T modules.
Marvell’s strategy emphasizes an end-to-end connectivity stack spanning electrical SerDes, DSPs, silicon photonics, and telemetry software. The addition of specialized DSP variants such as TRO-optimized devices and coherent-lite security-enabled processors reflects the diversification of AI data center interconnects across scale-up GPU fabrics, scale-out Ethernet networks, and emerging optical architectures.
