News
Meta and Broadcom demonstrate 65% power reduction in AI infrastructure using co-packaged optics
Monday, December 22, 2025 at 03:02 PM
Meta and Broadcom successfully tested co-packaged optics (CPO) ports for 1 million cumulative hours with no connection failures. The tests demonstrated a 65% reduction in power consumption compared to traditional pluggable optical modules, achieving an efficiency of 15 pJ/bit.
Context
Meta and Broadcom recently reached a major milestone for AI infrastructure by validating co-packaged optics (CPO) as a production-ready solution to the industry’s growing power crisis. In extensive lab testing, Meta operated Broadcom’s CPO-equipped ports for 1 million cumulative hours without a single "link flap," a critical stability metric that has long hindered the adoption of this technology. This demonstration proves that tightly integrating optical engines directly with switch silicon can meet the rigorous reliability standards required for hyperscale data centers.
The transition to CPO addresses the primary bottleneck in AI scaling: energy consumption. The data reveals that Broadcom’s solution reduces optics power usage by 65% compared to traditional pluggable modules, dropping consumption from 15 pJ/bit to roughly 5 pJ/bit. This efficiency gain is essential for next-generation 51.2 Tbps and 102.4 Tbps networking switches. Investors should watch for a significant deployment ramp in 2026 and 2027 as this architecture becomes the standard for high-bandwidth, energy-constrained AI clusters.
Related Companies
Broadcom
AVGO
Meta
META