Keysight Technologies introduced new 224G test solutions designed to support the development and manufacturing of next-generation 1.6T optical and electrical interconnects for AI data centers. The portfolio expands Keysight’s end-to-end validation platform, enabling engineers to test 224G-per-lane electrical signaling and emerging 1.6T optical modules across the full lifecycle from early R&D validation to high-volume production.
AI infrastructure is rapidly pushing data center interconnects toward 224G electrical lanes and 1.6T optical modules as hyperscalers scale both scale-up GPU fabrics and scale-out cluster networks. These transitions introduce new testing challenges, including signal-integrity validation at extreme data rates, tighter compliance margins, and the need for automated testing workflows suitable for manufacturing environments. Keysight’s new Digital Communication Analyzer (DCA)-based software and instruments target IEEE 802.3dj development and compliance workflows, enabling engineers to move from characterization and bring-up to standards validation and production testing more efficiently.
The company’s new solutions span both optical and electrical transmitter validation while extending Keysight’s DCA-M sampling oscilloscope platform to support 224 Gbps optical waveform measurements for multimode links used in short-reach AI infrastructure interconnects. Keysight plans to demonstrate the expanded portfolio at OFC 2026 in Los Angeles.
• 224G DCA Optical Transmitter Conformance Test Software (N1095DJCA) aligned with IEEE 802.3dj for optical transmitter validation
• Supports correlation of optical metrics including TDECQ and TDECQ-CER across R&D and pre-production environments
• Automated characterization workflows designed for 1.6T single-mode optical transceiver development
• Generates automated compliance and performance reports for engineering and production workflows
• 224G DCA Electrical Transmitter Test Software (N1091DJPA) for early-stage electrical validation
• Designed for ASIC, silicon, and system bring-up using half-rate clocking test setups
• Provides guided configuration workflows to accelerate debug and characterization
• N1096 DCA-M Multimode Sampling Oscilloscope supporting 224 Gbps / 112 GBd PAM4 measurements
• Enables waveform analysis for multimode short-reach optical interconnects used in AI infrastructure
• Supports development of 1.6T multimode optical components and transceivers
Dr. Joachim Peerlings, Vice President of Network and Data Center Solutions at Keysight, said: “As the industry moves rapidly toward 224G and 1.6T interconnects, customers need test solutions that span electrical and optical domains while scaling seamlessly from R&D to manufacturing.”
🌐 Analysis
The transition to 224G electrical signaling and 1.6T optical modules represents the next major step in data center interconnect scaling. IEEE 802.3dj defines the standards for 200 Gbps electrical lanes and 1.6T Ethernet modules, which hyperscalers and network vendors plan to deploy to support the rapidly growing bandwidth requirements of AI clusters. Testing and validation tools must evolve alongside these technologies because signal integrity margins shrink significantly at these speeds.
Keysight operates in a competitive test-and-measurement ecosystem that includes companies such as VIAVI Solutions, Anritsu, and Rohde & Schwarz, all targeting validation of next-generation optical interconnects. As vendors including Broadcom, Marvell, and NVIDIA advance 224G SerDes and 1.6T optical modules, demand is increasing for test systems that can validate both electrical and optical layers under realistic AI workload conditions.
