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AMD discusses co-packaged optics technology at OFC 2026
Thursday, March 19, 2026 at 03:13 PM
During the OFC 2026 conference, AMD presented its latest developments and roadmap for co-packaged optics (CPO) technology, aimed at addressing the power and interconnect bottlenecks in high-speed data center networking and AI clusters.
Context
At the OFC 2026 conference in Los Angeles, AMD Senior Fellow Deepak Kulkarni delivered a technical talk titled "Advancing AI Through Innovations in Advanced Packaging," where he discussed the company's roadmap for co-packaged optics (CPO). This presentation follows AMD's strategic May 2025 acquisition of Enosemi, a move designed to integrate silicon photonics directly into next-generation Instinct GPU and EPYC CPU packages. By shifting from traditional copper interconnects to optical chiplets, AMD aims to overcome the "power wall" and bandwidth limitations currently hindering rack-scale AI clusters.
While the exact verbatim transcript of the 2026 talk was not publicly released in full, Kulkarni emphasized that co-packaged optics can deliver higher bandwidth density and better power efficiency than traditional approaches. This technology is critical for AMD’s multi-year agreement to provide 6 gigawatts of AI infrastructure to OpenAI, which includes the initial deployment of MI450 GPUs starting in the second half of 2026. AMD is now competing directly with Broadcom and Nvidia to operationalize CPO as the industry standard for scaling high-performance compute fabrics.
Sources (9)
Coherent to Unveil Breakthrough AI-Scale Optical Innovations and Industry Leadership at OFC 2026Broadcom Showcases Industry-Leading Solutions for Scaling AI Infrastructure at OFC 2026 | Broadcom Inc.AMD Acquires Enosemi to Accelerate Co-Packaged Optics Innovation for AI SystemsAMD and OpenAI Announce Strategic Partnership to Deploy 6 Gigawatts of AMD GPUs :: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD)AMD buys Enosemi to enter CPO race for rack scale - The RegisterCo Packaged Optics (CPO) – Scaling with Light for the Next Wave of InterconnectAdvanced Packaging and Co-Packaging for Efficient Optical Systems | OFCAMD is pushing the boundaries of chiplet leadership ...
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