OIF Validates Critical Interoperability Live at OFC 2026 Through Multi-Vendor Demonstrations and Expert Panels

OIF member experts present panels on CEI-448Gbps signaling, next-generation ZR optics and optical interconnect specs for AI, alongside the interoperability showcase at booth #2017

FREMONT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--OIF and 40 participating member companies will use OFC 2026, March 17–19, to validate the interoperable building blocks AI-era data center networks increasingly depend on – demonstrating, live and across multiple vendors, how the ecosystem delivers scale, speed and energy efficiency under real-world constraints.

On the exhibit floor at the Los Angeles Convention Center, OIF’s interoperability showcase (booth #2017) serves as a vendor proving ground, translating implementation agreements (IAs) into working, repeatable interoperability so operators can reduce integration risk, maintain sourcing flexibility and move from innovation to deployment with greater confidence.

This year’s demonstrations will feature collaboration in four critical technology areas: 400ZR, 800ZR, Multi-Span Coherent Optics, Multi-Core Fiber (MCF) and IP/Optical Controllers; Common Electrical I/O (CEI) CEI-448G and CEI-224G; Co-Packaging; Common Management Interface Specification (CMIS) and Energy Efficient Interfaces (EEI).

OIF leaders and member experts have been selected to present three Show Floor Theater panels at OFC 2026, covering OIF’s work on CEI-448Gbps signaling, next-generation ZR optics, and optical interconnect specifications for AI.

“AI-era infrastructure demands more than speed – it demands interoperability you can trust, plus the energy efficiency required to scale responsibly,” said Nathan Tracy, President of OIF (TE Connectivity). “At this year's OFC, OIF and 40 of our members will showcase what it looks like when specifications become real multi-vendor operations across coherent optics, high-speed electrical interfaces, energy-efficient architectures and common management, so teams leave OFC with repeatable, multi-vendor building blocks they can deploy faster, source flexibly and scale efficiently.”

Technology Areas Featured in OIF’s OFC 2026 Interoperability Showcase

400ZR, 800ZR, Multi-Span Coherent Optics, Multi-Core Fiber (MCF) and IP/Optical Controllers – Coherent Interoperability at Scale

OIF’s largest multi-vendor system demonstration to date features nearly 100 coherent modules from 15 vendors. These modules are integrated across eleven host platforms and operate on four open line systems, all of which are managed by four IP/Optical Controllers. This large-scale collaboration highlights the robust ecosystem and interoperability achievable in today’s optical networking solutions. Additional growth into L band, transmission of ZR signals over multi-span MCF and the use of MCF-native 800G DR IMDD modules underscore the diversity, equality and inclusion of the optical industry’s foremost demonstration.

Common Electrical I/O (CEI) CEI-448G, CEI-224G – Driving Innovation and Collaboration for Future-Oriented Data Centers

OIF will showcase the application spaces, technical challenges and potential solution paths for electrical interfaces operating at 448Gbps per lane along with expanded interoperability and innovation at the 224G electrical interface. CEI demonstrations align semiconductor, interconnect and test and measurement companies towards essential interoperable frameworks for the AI era. A live, multi-vendor 448G demonstration will focus on hyperscaler needs for scaling AI networks, while a further expanded CEI-224G showcase brings greater ecosystem participation and highlights diverse link types from Very Short Reach (VSR) to Long Reach (LR) and Linear. In collaboration with OIF’s Physical & Link Layer (PLL) Working Group EEI track, OIF will also demonstrate energy-efficient electro-optical innovation across retimed, half-retimed (RTLR) and unretimed (Linear) pluggable optics and silicon. These demonstrations highlight the strength of the CEI ecosystem, proving robust interoperability across vendors and link types while advancing scalable, high-performance connectivity at 224G and the burgeoning 448G.

Common Management Interface Specification (CMIS) – Revolutionizing Management

OIF members will deliver live demonstrations of the latest innovations from the OIF PLL Working Group Management track, including enhanced firmware update capabilities that deliver a consistent, multi-vendor experience for users and network management systems such as OpenConfig. An additional live demo will showcase CMIS management of an ELSFP pluggable module, illustrating a key enabler for next-generation co-packaged optics solutions.

EEI and Co-Packaging – Revolutionizing Connectivity

OIF members will present achievements enabling energy efficient electrical and optical interfaces with both live and conceptual demonstrations of next-generation EEI solutions for AI compute, along with live ELSFP demos highlighting advancements in external laser sources critical for energy efficient solutions. Addressing energy efficiency is one of the highest-priority challenges faced by hyperscalers as they grow their AI resources to the next generation.

Participating Members: The interoperability showcase includes 3M, Accelight, Adtek, Adtran, Alphawave Semi, Amphenol Communications Solutions, Anritsu Corporation, AOI, Cadence Design Systems, Inc., CICT/Accelink, Ciena, Cisco, Coherent Corp., Eoptolink Technology, EXFO, Furukawa Electric/Lightera, HGGenuine, HPE, Keysight Technologies, Lessengers, Ligent, Inc., Luxshare-Tech, Marvell, MaxLinear Inc., Molex, MultiLane, Nokia, O-Net, Samtec, Semtech, SENKO Advanced Components, Silith, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Synopsys, Inc., TE Connectivity, Terahop PTE Ltd., US Conec, VeEX Inc., Wilder Technologies and Xscape Photonics.

OIF Brings Interoperability Insights to OFC 2026 Show Floor Theaters

OIF CEI-448Gbps – Fast and Furious Signaling Spec Development

Date: March 17

Time: 4:00pm–5:00pm PT

Location: Theater III

Moderator: Nathan Tracy, OIF President (TE Connectivity)

Panelists: John Calvin (Keysight Technologies); Mike Klempa, OIF Secretary/Treasurer and Physical & Link Layer Interoperability Working Group Chair (Qualcomm Incorporated); Cathy Liu, OIF Board Member (Broadcom, Inc.); Yi Tang, OIF Board Member and Physical & Link Layer Working Group Electrical Vice Chair (Cisco); Nathan Tracy, OIF President (TE Connectivity)

OIF 800ZR/LR and 1600ZR/ZR+/CL – Changing the Game…Again

Date: March 18

Time: 11:45am–12:45pm PT

Location: Theater II

Moderator: Karl Gass, OIF Physical & Link Layer Working Group Optical Vice Chair

Panelists: Georg Clarici (Coherent); Joerg Pfeifle (Keysight Technologies)

OIF – Driving Optical Interconnect Specs for AI

Date: March 19

Time: 1:30pm–2:30pm PT

Location: Theater II

Moderator: Jeff Hutchins, OIF Physical & Link Layer Working Group Energy Efficient Interfaces Vice Chair (Ranovus)

Panelists: Jeff Hutchins; Mike Klempa; Cathy Liu; Nathan Tracy

Visit OIF at OFC 2026

Visit OIF at booth #2017 during OFC (March 17–19) to see interoperability in action. Learn more: https://www.oiforum.com/meetings-events/oif-ofc-2026/

About OIF

OIF is where the optical networking industry’s interoperability work gets done. With more than 25 years of effecting forward change in the industry, OIF represents the dynamic ecosystem of 170+ industry leading network operators, system vendors, component vendors and test equipment vendors collaborating to develop interoperable electrical, optical and control solutions that directly impact the industry’s ecosystem and facilitate global connectivity in the open network world. Connect with OIF on LinkedIn, on X, on Bluesky and at https://www.oiforum.com/.