Lumentum Holdings, a global leader in optics and photonics, announced the expansion of its optical circuit switch product line with the new R64 platform. Based on Lumentum’s mature MEMS technology, this product will be introduced as a 64×64 port solution, primarily targeting low-port-count applications in AI data centers. The company showcased this new product at this year’s ECOC exhibition.
Peter Roorda, General Manager of Lumentum’s Cloud & Networking Division, stated: “Our R300 OCS 300×300 port product has received strong market response. The R64 now applies our mature MEMS technology on a smaller scale, enabling the advantages of OCS to be extended to more applications within AI data center networks. This will further help hyperscale operators reduce power consumption, enhance network reliability, and improve performance.”
The Lumentum R64 OCS complements the high-port-count R300 OCS and leverages the company’s decades of internal engineering expertise in MEMS technology widely used in telecom applications. With a robust patent portfolio and over one trillion on-wafer mirror operation hours, this OCS is designed to deliver unparalleled performance and high reliability for AI data centers.
R64 OCS boasts multiple key advantages:
– With extremely low power consumption, the switch capable of handling over 100Tbps optical communication traffic consumes less than 150W, helping AI data centers reduce power usage by 80% during expansion compared to packet-based switches.
– The optical performance is outstanding, as MEMS technology does not require light to pass through any active medium, resulting in extremely low insertion loss and nearly polarization-independent operation.
– The optical design is highly flexible, with the R64 platform allowing expansion to 72×72 ports, supporting unidirectional or bidirectional operation and offering fully arbitrary fiber connections. This eliminates the typical OCS connection limitations in bidirectional applications.
– With a broad operating wavelength range, the R64 is optimized for current O-band applications while delivering outstanding performance in the C-band, thanks to its future-oriented, bandwidth-independent MEMS technology.
– Exceptional stability: Lumentum’s proprietary MEMS design is inherently stable throughout the product’s lifespan, eliminating the need for feedback mechanisms. This prevents control loop jitter noise from being introduced into the optical signal while reducing overall system complexity.
– Compact footprint: The streamlined design integrates all essential functions within a 2RU form factor, including redundant power supplies and cooling fans.
The addition of R64 OCS further enriches Lumentum’s innovative photonic solutions portfolio aimed at enhancing the scalability of AI data centers. The system will begin shipping samples to customers in the fourth quarter of 2025, with full-scale commercialization expected in the second half of 2026.
