As AI models continue to grow in size and complexity, so does the infrastructure required to support them. Higher-performance GPUs, larger clusters, and ever-increasing bandwidth demands are pushing traditional network architectures toward their physical limits.
Long-standing copper interconnects, for instance, are increasingly struggling to deliver the speed, distance, and power efficiency that next-generation AI environments require.
This is where co-packaged optics (CPO) is beginning to reshape the conversation.
By integrating optical and electronic components more closely together, CPO significantly reduces the distance signals need to travel, enabling lower power consumption, greater bandwidth density, and improved reliability.
As momentum builds behind CPO, however, important questions remain: is the technology mature enough for large-scale AI deployments? Can manufacturing processes support the volumes that hyperscale data centers will require? And is the broader ecosystem ready?
