Achronix, Opticomp demo multipath 40 Gb/S optical networking solution

SAN JOSE, USA: Achronix Semiconductor, makers of the world’s fastest field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and Opticomp, the premier high-throughput optical module supplier, have announced a powerful, flexible platform for developing, characterizing, and demonstrating state-of-the-art high-speed optical data communication.

The fully programmable development system is the result of a close and productive collaboration between the two companies – each bringing its own unique expertise to the project. Achronix and Opticomp working together have set the standard for high-throughput digital transport and processing.

The 120 Gb/s multi-port system (expandable to 160 Gb/s) can be used with individual optical modules or with multiple 40Gb/s optical paths connected together into a network.

The Achronix-Opticomp solution was demonstrated at the AMAPS XI (Advanced Microelectronics and Photonics for Space) conference in Lake Tahoe, June 8-11, 2010.

In addition to providing the world’s fastest FPGAs, Achronix offers several system-level products, including the Bridge100 System – the basis of the joint program with Opticomp. The Bridge100 system has been delivered to a wide range of customers and is unique in the industry, offering:

a. 120 Gb/s bidirectional throughput (three 40 Gb/s ports and twelve 10 Gb/s ports),
b. Additional expansion ports (80 Gb/s),
c. Additional video ports (4 HDMI Tx, 4 HDMI Rx),
d. Up to 32 GB of traffic buffering (DDR3 SDRAM at 1066 Mb/s per lane),
e. Nine SPD60 FPGAs (fully reprogrammable).

The unique combination of data bandwidth, memory bandwidth, logic capacity, and full reprogrammability results in an extremely powerful platform for ultra-high-speed data-transmission.

When used as a stand-alone test system, the primary roles of the Bridge100 for this application are data generation, formatting, and checking. When used with external traffic sources and destinations (as in an operational data network) its primary roles are classification, storage, retrieval, and transmission (according to a user-specified scheduling policy),

Opticomp is a leading provider of high-end optical modules. Opticomp’s TRX-04-950-15 module transmits (and receives) 40 Gb/s traffic over a single multimode fiber -- in the form of four wavelengths of 10 Gb/s each.

The transceiver incorporates four VCSELs, four PIN photodiode detectors, a CWDM multiplexer/coupler, and a CWDM demultiplexer/coupler – all in a convenient, compact assembly. The Bridge100 System and development tools are available now.