Rumor

Google OCS reportedly very power efficient, Ciena also involved.

Friday, December 12, 2025 at 01:56 PM

A watcher claims that Google's Optical Circuit Switch (OCS) technology is highly power efficient, and also mentions Ciena in the context of this efficiency.

Context

Google's optical circuit switching (OCS) is emerging as a highly energy-efficient solution for AI datacenters, with 2024-2025 industry reports highlighting its role in scalable infrastructure. As the primary datacenter operator deploying OCS, often building its own hardware, Google's global data center fleet achieved an impressive power usage effectiveness (PUE) of 1.09 in 2024. This underscores Google's leadership in adopting power-efficient technologies crucial for the burgeoning AI sector. Ciena is also a key player in energy-optimized optical transport with its WaveLogic family. Innovations like the WaveLogic 6 (3nm DSP) and WL6n 1.6T pluggable have enabled power-per-bit improvements exceeding 95% from 2010 to 2024. This focus on reducing power consumption per bit aligns with high demand for sustainable solutions in cloud and AI traffic, and Ciena's long-standing relationship with Google reinforces its relevance in this energy-conscious market.

Related Companies

G
Alphabet Inc.
GOOG
C
Ciena
CIEN