Keysight Technologies introduced new capabilities for its 1.6T Ethernet interconnect validation portfolio, extending support to passive copper and low-power optical technologies used in AI and high-performance computing (HPC) networks. The enhancements apply to the company’s AresONE 1600GE and Interconnect and Network Performance Tester 1600GE (INPT-1600GE) platforms, enabling validation of increasingly complex 224G lane-based interconnects across both scale-up and scale-out architectures.
The expanded validation framework targets a broad mix of interconnect types, including passive copper Direct Attach Cables (DAC), Active Copper Cables (ACC), Active Electrical Cables (AEC), Low Power Optics (LPO), Linear Receive Optics (LRO), and coherent optical modules for data center interconnect (DCI). These technologies are central to balancing power efficiency, cost, and reach in next-generation AI clusters, where operators must maintain error-free performance across high-density deployments. Keysight said its platforms enable repeatable characterization of fully assembled interconnects under real-world conditions, including operation within GPUs, NICs, switches, and routers.
Keysight also emphasized the growing complexity introduced by new silicon components such as DSPs, retimers, and linear amplifiers, which require iterative tuning to optimize performance. The company’s validation systems are designed to support long-duration error performance testing, helping vendors and operators reduce deployment risk and avoid costly downtime in large-scale AI environments. Keysight will demonstrate the enhanced capabilities at OFC 2026 in Los Angeles.
- Extends 1.6T validation to passive copper (DAC), ACC, AEC, LPO, LRO, and coherent optics
- Targets 224G lane-based interconnects used in AI and HPC clusters
- Supports validation across real-world system configurations including GPUs, NICs, switches, and routers
- Enables long-duration error-performance testing to reduce deployment risk
- Addresses tuning complexity of DSPs, retimers, and linear optics components
- Platforms: AresONE 1600GE and INPT-1600GE
“As AI and HPC networks scale to 1.6T, the industry is demanding interconnect solutions that extend reach while reducing power and cost — and active copper cables are emerging as a critical part of that equation. Semtech’s 224G linear redriver ICs are designed to support ACC deployments, and working alongside Keysight’s test infrastructure gives our customers confidence that these solutions perform reliably in real-world network environments.” — Scott Schube, Vice President, Applications and Business Development, Signal Integrity Products at Semtech
🌐 Analysis: Keysight Technologies continues to position itself as a critical enabler of the 224G ecosystem, which underpins the transition to 1.6T Ethernet across AI infrastructure.
