Cisco: LPO not a panacea but plays strategic role in AI networks

Cisco has committed to developing Linear Pluggable Optics (LPO) options for its Silicon One family to address the growing need for lower power, high-throughput networking for AI.
Cisco recently ratcheted up the speed of its Silicon One portfolio with the introduction of a 102.4 Terabit/sec G300 chip and switch family. As part of that launch, Cisco rolled out its first commercially available 800G LPO modules for its Nexus 9000 series switches and 8000 series routers. Outfitted with the LPO module, these networking boxes are aimed at AI leaf-spine fabrics, data center interconnects, and other high density 800G deployments, according to Cisco.
Supporting 800G LPO on Nexus 9000 and 8000 series platforms takes advantage of the power of the Silicon One architecture while addressing the energy savings and network performance needs that hyperscalers or other high-end users need now, experts say. 
“For us, there are going to be niche, targeted applications for 800G LPO, in my view, and customers seeking to reduce power will take advantage of it, but it’s not a panacea,” Bill Gartner, senior vice president and general manager of Cisco’s optical systems and optics business, told Network World. 

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In other words, it’s not fully plug-and-play like some non-LPO optics, Gartner said. “We can’t make a claim that you can take our 800G LPO, or anybody else’s, and just plug it into anybody’s host, and it’s going to work. It’s going to require some pairwise testing, and it has to be paired with an LPO optic on the other end of the link as well,” Gartner said. Not all silicon is capable of doing this reliably, and that’s why LPO deployments need thorough validation between the optic and the host platform.