Core Insights - The article discusses the challenges and advancements in power supply for data center operators, particularly in relation to the deployment of GPU servers driven by the growth of artificial intelligence [1] - Co-packaged optics (CPO) technology is highlighted as a key innovation, with NVIDIA and Broadcom leading the way in its adoption [1][5] Group 1: CPO Technology and Adoption - NVIDIA's Quantum-X Photonics CPO switch will be adopted by GPU cluster operators Lambda and CoreWeave, as well as the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) [1] - CPO switches are expected to see explosive growth by 2026, driven by the need for high-speed connections in AI networks, with NVIDIA planning to achieve 1.6 Tbps port speeds with its next-generation ConnectX-9 network cards [2][5] - The integration of optical components into the switch itself reduces the need for numerous power-consuming pluggable transceivers, significantly decreasing the number from nearly 500,000 to about 128,000 for a cluster with 128,000 GPUs [2] Group 2: Reliability and Performance - One of the main barriers to CPO adoption has been concerns over reliability; a failure in a photon chip could result in the loss of multiple ports, unlike traditional switches where only one port may be affected [3] - Early tests by Broadcom and Meta indicate that CPO technology can reduce latency and improve reliability, with Meta reporting 1 million hours of jitter-free operation at 400 Gbps [3][4] - NVIDIA claims its photonic network platform has improved resilience by 10 times, allowing applications to run longer without interruption [4] Group 3: Current State and Future Developments - NVIDIA's CPO switches, including Spectrum-X and Quantum-X, feature full liquid cooling and high bandwidth capabilities, with plans for deployment by TACC, Lambda, and CoreWeave [5][6] - Broadcom is also advancing in this space, showcasing its latest generation Davisson CPO platform with a 102.4 Tbps Tomahawk 6 switch ASIC [6] - Other companies, such as Ayar Labs and Lightmatter, are exploring optical I/O integration into accelerators, with Lightmatter developing a silicon photonic intermediary layer for chip-to-chip communication [8][9]