GigOptix Inc of San Jose, CA, USA (a fabless supplier of analog semiconductor and optical communications components enabling high-speed end-to-end information streaming over optical fiber and wireless networks) has reiterated what it claims is the continuous strengthening of its position as the lead independent device supplier for 40Gbps/100Gbps high-speed optical interconnects for emerging Cloud and Web 2.0 applications in next-generation data centers.
"With the ever growing demand for our high-speed devices for optical links using pluggables and active optical cables (AOC), and the recent consolidation of some other merchant component manufacturers into vertically integrated system manufacturers, GigOptix is clearly the largest independent supplier of chip-sets to enable high-speed optical interconnects in the data centers for short-reach (SR) and long-reach (LR) high-speed connectivity applications," claims Dr Raluca Dinu, general manager & VP of GigOptix's Optics Product Line. "GigOptix has shipped millions of VCSEL driver and transimpedance amplifier (TIA) devices and has delivered double-digit quarterly revenue growth over the last two years," he adds.
"As data centers scale to offer more optical interconnect applications, services and storage, GigOptix continues to enhance its enabling device product portfolio offering," Dinu continues. The firm has a family of ten products available for 1 to 12 channels at data rates ranging from 5Gbps to 300Gbps. "Data-center high-speed connectivity is one of the fastest-growing segments of the optical data streaming infrastructure, as larger data centers are being built to support the exponential data transfer demand through the Cloud. To meet this expanding need for speed and bandwidth, the industry is rapidly converting from existing copper wire technology to fiber optics," he adds. "Based on this robust outlook, we remain confident that the demand for our datacom high-speed components will continue to rapidly grow over the next few years."
GigOptix's broad optical interconnect portfolio includes 1-, 4- and 12-channel VCSEL driver and TIA arrays for speeds of 5, 10, 14, 16, 25 and 28Gbps.
From volumes in Light Counting's 'April 2013 Market Forecast for Data Center Optical Transceivers' report, the revenue for drivers and TIAs needed for all the AOC high-speed optical data-center links, which include both SR and LR applications, is estimated to grow three-fold from about $40m currently. This growth rate does not include the expected use of TIAs and drivers for the next generation of consumer electronics and gesture recognition devices, which would further boost demand for these technologies.
