Open CPX MSA Group Releases Specification for High Density, Pluggable CPO/NPO

Six Months After MSA Debut, Group Releases Comprehensive Spec on an Open Co-packaged and Near-package Optics (CPO/NPO) Form Factor

MALAGA, Spain--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Open CPX Multi Source Agreement (MSA) Group is announcing the general availability of the Specification for Co-Packaged and Near-package Connectors and Optics Modules. The Specification details implementation for connectivity up to 7.2Tbps per socket, based on a 200 Gbps per lane signaling in the mixed-media CPX form factor. The ultra-compact Open CPX socket is an ideal solution to enable the interconnect of extra-large XPU clusters in next-generation AI factories. The MSA Group leverages existing electrical, optical and control plane standards, paving the way for CPX-based systems to be integrated with existing infrastructure for fast deployment.

Current co-packaged and near-package optics solutions have up to now been proprietary, vendor-specific implementations. This siloed approach has locked customers into a single-vendor supply chain. The Open CPX MSA addresses these issues by specifying a standards-based, pluggable CPO/NPO module form factor that can be sourced from participants in the same global supply chain that has delivered hundreds of millions of standards-based front-panel pluggable optical modules. Open CPX modules plug into their sockets without the need for compression hardware and provide flexibility lacking in other CPO/NPO systems.

The Open CPX MSA includes the founding members Ciena, Coherent, Marvell, Molex, Samtec and TeraHop as well as the following contributing companies: Accton Technology Corporation, ACON OPTICS Communications, Alpha Networks, Amphenol, Applied Optoelectronics, Astera Labs, Avicena, Cambridge Photonics Technologies, Chengdu Anketi Technology, ColorChip (Zhejiang) Technology, Credo, Dell, Enablence Technologies, Fast Photonics, Foxconn Interconnect Technology, Hakusan, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Intel Corporation, Ligent Technologies, Lightmatter, LOTES, Lumentum Operations, Lyntera, Mixx Technologies, Multilane Test Products, Nexthop Systems, O-Net Technologies, PhotonicX AI, Qualcomm Incorporated, Ruijie Networks, Shanghai Lightepoch Intelligent Technology, Silux Technologies, Source Photonics, TE Connectivity Solutions GmbH, TeraSignal, TFC Communication USA, Upscale AI, Viavi Solutions and Wilder Technologies.

The specification defines modules with 6.4T and 7.2T connectivity, with options for both internal and external lasers. Additionally, companies are offering high-performance copper cable solutions connecting into the CPX form factor today, providing another layer of mixed-media flexibility.

Key technical features of the Open CPX Specification:

• Ultra-compact design enabling 100T and 200T switch designs
• Pluggable CPO and NPO optimized form factors
• Inclusion of both external and module-integrated lasers
• Liquid-cooling focused thermal specifications
• Complete module management specifications

“Working on AI solutions means working on AI time scales. The industry demands solutions quickly, which is why we pushed so hard to deliver the Open CPX Specification in just six months after the formation of the MSA.”
— Peter Winzer, Chief Editor Open CPX MSA, Vice President of Engineering, Ciena

“Open CPX extends the standardized, form-factor approach to the paradigm of CPO and NPO, creating a foundation for interoperability and multi-vendor sourcing. Coherent’s extensive history in optical manufacturing and high-volume qualification gives us a strong foundation to help deliver reliable, scalable CPO/NPO products for next-generation AI infrastructure.”
—Justin Abbott, Co-Chair, Open CPX MSA, and Vice President and General Manager, Emerging Products and Strategy, Coherent

“The general availability of the Open CPX Specification marks an important step toward a truly open ecosystem for co-packaged and near-package optics. As a founding member of the Open CPX MSA, Marvell is committed to advancing interoperable, multi-vendor solutions that give customers greater flexibility and choice. With strong momentum across AI infrastructure deployments, we believe Open CPX is well positioned to accelerate adoption at scale, and Marvell remains fully committed to supporting its continued growth and evolution.”
— Xi Wang, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Connectivity Group, Marvell

"As a founding member of the Open CPX MSA, Molex offers a product portfolio aligned to the pluggable CPO/NPO form factor, helping accelerate multi-vendor sourcing and deployment of interoperable, high-density interconnects for next-generation AI infrastructure.”
— Scott Sommers, Director of Industry Standards, Copper Solutions, Molex

"Collaboration breeds disruption. By enabling optical or copper co-packaged and near packaged connectivity in a single socket, the new Open CPX MSA makes the scalability, flexibility, supply-chain resiliency, and time to market demands of evolving AI infrastructures possible."
—Matthew Burns, Marketing Co-Lead Open CPX MSA, Director of Technical Marketing, Samtec

“The Open CPX MSA’s key mission is to enable open CPO/NPO optical solutions to support AI scaling. We are looking forward to close collaborations with MSA members for fast adoption of Open CPX optics for AI infra deployment.”
— Rang-Chen Yu, Co-Chair Open CPX MSA, Vice President of Marketing, TeraHop

The Specification for Co-packaged and Near-package Connector and Optics Module is available for download at: https://www.opencpxmsa.org. For sample availability, contact appropriate member companies.

For more information, visit the Open CPX MSA group website: https://www.opencpxmsa.org/

About the Open CPX MSA

Open CPX MSA is an international organization dedicated to easing the adoption of optical engines in a mixed-media copper/optical environment by providing common mechanical and performance parameters for ecosystem suppliers and end users. Its goal is to reduce power, cost, and latency, while improving bandwidth density, capacity, and the reliability of high-speed, flexible co-packaged and near-package interconnects for AI data center applications. For more information about Open CPX MSA, please visit www.OpenCPXMSA.org.

Marvell and the M logo are trademarks of Marvell or its affiliates. Please visit www.marvell.com for a complete list of Marvell trademarks. Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.