Micro LED CPO power at 5% of copper cables

🔑 Enhanced Key Takeaways

• •JCET announced a major breakthrough in CPO technology on January 21, 2026, positioning it as an early leader alongside UMC's 22nm process for silicon photonics[1].
• •NVIDIA plans to launch a CPO-based optical interconnect platform in 2026 supporting Ethernet and InfiniBand, reducing power from 30W to 9W per 1.6T module[4].
• •Avicena is developing massively parallel LED-based optical interconnects as a low-power alternative for short-reach connections beyond copper limits[3].

🛠️ Technical Deep Dive

• •CPO integrates optical engines directly adjacent to ASICs, shortening electrical traces to millimeters, eliminating DSPs, and using shorter-reach SerDes for sub-pJ/bit efficiency[2][5].
• •Reference designs feature ethernet switch ASICs with 16 light engine tiles, 1,152 fibers (128 laser, 1,024 data), and external laser modules at faceplate for cooling[2].
• •Mikros Technologies’ MikroMatrix™ cold plate uses microchannel arrays for superior heat dissipation in high-density CPO racks[2].
• •µLEDs enable robust photonic interconnects, operating at high currents and temperatures >100°C, suitable for AI data center servers[9].

🔮 Future ImplicationsAI analysis grounded in cited sources

⏳ Timeline