Sivers Semiconductors is partnering with Jabil to develop a 1.6T pluggable optical transceiver module designed to reduce power consumption in hyperscale AI data centers. The collaboration centers on a linear receive optics (LRO) architecture that integrates Sivers’ distributed feedback (DFB) laser technology into Jabil’s manufacturing and photonics platform.
Jabil plans to engineer and scale production of the 1.6T LRO module to meet growing demand for high-bandwidth interconnects in AI clusters. The companies position the design as delivering equivalent throughput at significantly lower energy consumption compared to conventional DSP-based pluggables, aligning with hyperscaler requirements for improved performance-per-watt.
The announcement reflects broader market trends outlined by LightCounting, which forecasts that 800G and higher-speed optical modules will account for 80% of the pluggables market by 2030, with total shipments reaching approximately 225 million units. The collaboration aims to address this demand by combining Sivers’ laser components with Jabil’s system-level design and manufacturing capabilities.
- Targets 1.6T pluggable optical transceivers using linear receive optics (LRO) architecture
- Integrates Sivers’ DFB laser technology into Jabil’s module design
- Focuses on reducing power consumption for AI and hyperscale data center deployments
- Addresses demand for 800G and 1.6T interconnects driven by AI cluster scaling
- Aligns with forecast of 225M high-speed pluggable modules by 2030 (LightCounting)
“Working with Sivers will allow us to deliver a 1.6T LRO solution that meets both data center performance and power targets at scale,” said Jason Wildt, Vice President and General Manager of Photonics at Jabil.
🌐 Analysis: The move toward LRO-based pluggables reflects a broader industry shift away from power-intensive DSP architectures, especially at 800G and 1.6T speeds where thermal constraints become limiting in dense AI clusters. Vendors across the ecosystem—including DSP suppliers, laser makers, and module integrators—are exploring linear-drive approaches to reduce watts per bit while maintaining reach and signal integrity.
At the same time, hyperscalers continue to push for higher radix switching and scale-out fabrics, increasing the importance of low-power optics. This collaboration positions Sivers within the optical component supply chain while leveraging Jabil’s role as a high-volume manufacturing partner, similar to other ecosystem alignments forming around next-generation AI interconnects.
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