Applied Optoelectronics used OFC 2026 to highlight a 25dBm ultra-high-power external laser small form-factor pluggable (ELSFP), positioning the device as a key optical source for emerging AI data center architectures built around silicon photonics, near-packaged optics, and co-packaged optics. The company said its 400mW continuous-wave laser, delivered in a hot-swappable ELSFP format, is designed to provide the higher link budgets and serviceability needed in dense GPU cluster deployments.
AOI also showcased a broader optical portfolio spanning 100G to 1.6T transceivers and demonstrated a 6.4T on-board optics platform powered by its external laser technology. The company framed on-board optics as a nearer-term high-density option for hyperscale AI systems, alongside longer-term shifts toward NPO and CPO designs. At the same time, AOI pointed to its recent manufacturing expansion in Sugar Land, Texas, including a new 210,000-square-foot (about 19,500-square-meter) facility tied to a larger domestic build-out for AI-focused data center transceivers.
The announcement reflects a broader industry push to separate laser sources from optical engines as AI interconnect power, density, and serviceability constraints intensify. AOI’s message at OFC centered on supplying the optical building blocks for those next-generation platforms, with emphasis on higher-power continuous-wave lasers and pluggable external laser formats that can support maintenance and uptime requirements in large-scale accelerator clusters.
- AOI’s featured product was a 25dBm, 400mW continuous-wave ELSFP laser source for AI-oriented optical architectures.
- The company said the device targets silicon photonics, NPO, and CPO deployments.
- AOI also showed optical interconnect products from 100G through 1.6T.
- Its live demo included a 6.4T on-board optics implementation powered by the external laser module.
- AOI recently broke ground on a 210,000-square-foot (about 19,500-square-meter) manufacturing expansion in Sugar Land as part of a broader U.S. investment plan.
“Reliability and performance are non-negotiable as the industry shifts toward more demanding GPU fabrics,” said Fred Chang, Senior Vice President and North American General Manager at AOI.
🌐 Analysis: AOI’s OFC message aligns with a larger shift toward disaggregated optical designs in AI infrastructure, where external laser sources are gaining attention as switch and accelerator platforms move toward tighter photonic integration. Competitors across the optical ecosystem also used OFC 2026 to emphasize higher-lane-speed optics, co-packaged optics, and alternative integration paths for AI scale-up and scale-out networks, underscoring how laser power, thermal management, and field serviceability are becoming central design variables across the market.
