09 Mar 2027
10:15 - 11:15
Expo Theater III
Co-packaged and near packaged optics (CPO/NPO) have long promised dramatic improvements in power efficiency and front-panel density. While several industry initiatives have advanced the underlying technologies, significant challenges around serviceability, manufacturability, interoperability, and ecosystem scale have slowed commercial adoption.
Founded in February 2026 by Ciena, Coherent, Marvell, Molex, Samtec, and Terahop, the Open CPX MSA was created to address these barriers through a standardized, pluggable optical engine architecture. By combining pluggability with an open ecosystem, Open CPX enables networking architectures that can deliver up to 8× higher density while reducing power consumption by as much as 70% compared to fully retimed pluggable architectures, making CPO/NPO viable option for hyperscale AI infrastructure for economical, large-scale deployment with supply resiliency.
The pace of industry collaboration has been equally significant. In just seven months from its formation, the MSA expects to publish the first public draft of the Open CPX specification. Concurrently, multiple Tier 1 OEMs, ODMs, hyperscalers, and component suppliers are already collaborating on early platform implementations, with many expected to demonstrate Open CPX-based solutions at OFC 2027.
This panel brings together the six founding members to discuss the architectural decisions behind Open CPX—including pluggability, connector technology, optical and electrical interfaces, liquid cooling and thermal management, reliability, and manufacturability—and explore how an open, interoperable standard can dramatically accelerate the industry's path from CPO innovation to commercial deployment.
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