Keysight, NTT Innovative Devices, and Lumentum demonstrate 448 Gbps data transmission at OFC 2025

Keysight Technologies, NTT Innovative Devices Corporation, and Lumentum Holdings Inc. have announced a joint demonstration of 448 Gbps data transmission employing 224 GBaud PAM4 optical technology at the Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exhibition (OFC) 2025. This collaboration addresses the rising bandwidth requirements of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) applications, which are pivotal in the development of energy-efficient 3.2 terabit (Tbps) interfaces for future data center networks.

During this early Research and Development (R&D) phase, the companies are exploring various modulation schemes including PAM4, PAM6, and PAM8. The industry has recognized PAM4 as the preferred choice for 224 Gbps optical transmission, underscoring the momentum in high-speed data transmission.

The 448 Gbps transmission rate enhances data flow between computing and network nodes, contributing to reduced latency and improved efficiency of AI/ML models. As these models grow in complexity, higher data throughput is necessary to ensure scalability while avoiding bottlenecks. This advancement also promotes better efficiency within data center, leading to lower operational costs and reduced environmental effects.

This demonstration utilizes Keysight’s M8199B Arbitrary Waveform Generators in conjunction with NTT’s frequency-domain interleaver to produce 448 Gbps electrical signals. These signals drive a Lumentum indium phosphide (InP) externally-modulated laser (EML), demonstrating the capabilities of high-speed, power-efficient optical interconnects.

The collaboration showcases notable technologies, including Keysight's industry-leading M8199B Arbitrary Waveform Generator, which operates at 256 GSa/s with an analog bandwidth exceeding 80 GHz, and NTT's frequency-domain interleaver, which enhances the M8199B AWG bandwidth.

Disaster Recovery (DR). Akimasa Kaneko from NTT remarked on the collaboration's significance in evolving high-speed optical communications, emphasizing their preparedness to facilitate next-generation optical systems. Lumentum's DR. Matthew Sysak cited the achievement as instrumental for cloud infrastructure, while Keysight's DR. Joachim Peerlings highlighted the combined strengths of the partners in pushing forward optical communication technology.

The 448 Gbps data transmission demonstration will be presented for the first time at OFC 2025, taking place from April 1-3 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California.