Why was the CW-WDM MSA formed?
IEEE and MSA standards specify single and four wavelengths for today’s datacom optics. Emerging Silicon Photonics (SiPh) based optics are expected to move to 8, 16, and 32 wavelengths, to support high data rate advanced optical communication and computing applications. These higher wavelength counts are a crucial part of the emerging ecosystem and will enable improvements in performance, efficiency, cost, and bandwidth scaling.
What is the goal of the CW-WDM MSA?
The goal of the MSA is to generate a set of specifications for optical power sources. Once the standard is adopted broadly, vendors can leverage a robust supply chain and suppliers have a unified, large market to sell into.
How is the CW-WDM MSA different from previous standards?
The CW-WDM MSA is different from optical communication standards in that it solely focuses on defining the optical source specifications instead of the full communication link. While it has a number of end use cases, it is not targeted at any single application. Such an approach allows developers to fully optimize links without interoperability constraints, while simultaneously creating a large business opportunity for optical source suppliers.
Is there any overlap between the CW-WDM MSA and previous ethernet standards?
The MSA will leverage optical specifications in previous standards, including IEEE 100GBASE-LR4 and ITU-T DWDM G.694.1, to minimize the development effort required by suppliers and reduce product time-to-market.
What is the difference between a Promoter Member and an Observer Member?
Promoter Members develop the specifications, contribute and license IP, vote on the Standard, and actively promote the MSA. Observer Members are informed of the specification development details on an ongoing basis, and can contribute to the specifications through Promoter Members.
