Marvell Technology announced it is sampling its Spica Gen2 800Gbps PAM4 electro-optics platform, designed to boost bandwidth and performance in cloud data centers.

The Spica Gen2 platform is built on advanced 5nm process technology with companion transimpedance amplifiers (TIAs) and driver to deliver power savings and advance the transition to 800Gbps networking inside the data center.

The Spica Gen2 800G platform, powered by 5nm CMOS technology and Marvell’s PAM4 DSP IP, offers more than 25 percent system-level power efficiency savings compared to the previous generation while reducing latency and system implementation complexity.

PAM4 DSPs inside the pluggable transceiver modules play a critical role in linking optical networks by fine-tuning signals to maintain data integrity over communications links up to 10km distance. Spica Gen2 allows the data center operators to future-proof their optical networking infrastructure to meet next-generation industry standards as the cloud data center moves to 800G.

The PAM4 DSP platform enables less than 12-Watt 800G QSFP-DD800/OSFP optical transceiver modules. These power savings provide cloud operators the ability to reduce cost, complexity, while increasing bandwidth and performance.

“With the introduction of the Spica Gen2 5nm optical PAM4 DSP, Marvell is continuing to innovate and enhance the power efficiency with the 800G electro-optics platform while increasing bandwidth in the data center,” said Xi Wang, vice president of product marketing, Optical Connectivity at Marvell.

Demand for optical technology is expected to grow 14 percent per year through 2027, driven by the projected sales of 800G and 1.6T transceivers as cloud providers and carriers enhance infrastructures to meet customer expectations, Light Counting Market Research said.