Nubis and Samtec Collaborate on New Co-Packaged Platform that Enables a 6.4T Common Connector for Optics and Copper

• Simplifies system design and lowers barrier to co-packaged optics adoption in high-bandwidth xPU interconnect at 200G per lane speeds for AI scale-up
• Enabled by Nubis 200G per lane Silicon Photonics IC (Puma) with 1 Tbps/mm beachfront density and highly compact, custom designed MZM modulators achieving over 60GHz for 200G channel performance.
• Nubis and Samtec will exhibit their joint copper and optical CPX platform incorporating Samtec Si-Fly^® HD co-packaged cable systems at OFC 2025 (San Francisco, CA; April 1-3, 2025) in Samtec Booth # 5863 and Nubis Booth #3524.

NEW PROVIDENCE, N.J. & NEW ALBANY, Ind.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nubis Communications, a leader in high-density optical interconnect solutions for AI networks, and Samtec, the service leader in the connector industry, will exhibit their joint copper and optical solution at the OFC 2025 Exhibition in Samtec Booth #5863 and Nubis Booth #3524. The demonstration includes Nubis 200G per lane Silicon Photonics IC (Puma) and Samtec Si-Fly^® HD interconnects, including high-density 224 Gbps PAM4 co-packaged and near-chip (ASIC adjacent) cable systems.

Together, Nubis and Samtec are supporting a new category: CPX, which is a common, interoperable footprint for co-packaged copper and optics. The massive growth of AI models for training as well as computational needs for inference are pushing for increased efficiency of AI datacenter infrastructure. Previously, longer links using optics required special optical ports allocated during system hardware design, locking in architecture choices two or more years in advance. Taking the flexible CPX approach allows per-link choice of optics or copper, lowering the barrier to adoption of co-packaged optics.

High-Density Silicon Photonics Coming to 200G per Lane

With this announcement, Nubis is also announcing the availability of its 200G per lane silicon photonics IC, Puma. This highly integrated Silicon Photonics device provides 16 integrated transmitters and 16 receivers at 224 Gbps data rate. Its extreme beachfront density of 1 Tbps/mm is enabled by specially designed high-density Mach-Zehnder (MZ) modulators that achieve 60GHz performance and provide the yield, reliability, and industry standards compliance consistent with MZ modulators.

Puma’s compact design enables dense optical modules mounted on the Si-Fly HD Co-Packaged CPX socket which mates directly to the Si-Fly HD Co-Packaged CPX terminal providing 6.4T optical performance. Compared to conventional optical transceivers, the direct connection of the optics to the electrical connector greatly improves signal integrity, a key challenge at 224 Gbps speeds. This enables a highly optimized low-power 6.4T optical solution.

“Samtec’s Si-Fly HD co-packaged and near-chip systems provide the highest density 224 Gbps PAM4 solution in today's market. In AI clustering, enabling flexibility between copper and optics provides an architectural advantage, increased reach, and improved performance,” said Jignesh Shah, Technologist at Samtec. “We are pleased to collaborate with Nubis due to their groundbreaking, industry-leading 200G/lane CPO silicon photonics technology. Together, Nubis and Samtec bring the advantages of copper and optics interoperability, enabling architecture flexibility and rapid optical deployment in AI cluster networks.”

“Nubis’ silicon photonics and 3D packaging allows us to build the smallest optical engines in the world. By partnering with Samtec, we can fit 200G per lane optics in the same footprint as 200G per lane high-density passive copper,” explained Peter Winzer, Nubis founder and CTO. “This greatly lowers the barrier to adoption and is a major breakthrough for co-packaged optics.”

Availability

Nubis optical engine compatible with Samtec Si-FLY CPC will be available in the 2H of 2025.

Samtec Si-FLY HD 224 Gbps PAM4 co-packaged and near-chip solutions are sampling now.

About Nubis

Nubis innovates across photonics, electronics, packaging, and manufacturing to create high density linear optics solutions for AI with significantly better scalability, density, and power efficiency than existing solutions. For more information, please visit: www.nubis-inc.com.

About Samtec

Founded in 1976, Samtec is a privately held, $1 Billion global manufacturer of a broad line of electronic interconnect solutions, including High-Speed Board-to-Board, High-Speed Cables, Mid-Board and Panel Optics, Precision RF, Flexible Stacking, and Micro/Rugged components and cables. Samtec Technology Centers are dedicated to developing and advancing technologies, strategies, and products to optimize both the performance and cost of a system from the bare die to an interface 100 meters away, and all interconnect points in between. With 40+ international locations and products sold in more than 125 different countries, Samtec’s global presence enables its unmatched customer service. For more information, please visit: www.samtec.com.