Broadcom Launches Optical DSP Built for AI Data Centers

Broadcom has debuted a new optical networking chip built to help data centers manage the expanding bandwidth demands created by AI workloads. The company says the device, the Taurus BCM83640, supports a new generation of high-capacity optical modules used to link servers inside AI computing clusters.

The Taurus is an optical digital signal processor (DSP) manufactured on a three-nanometer process. It uses 400-gigabit-per-second signaling per lane, a big step beyond earlier 200-gigabit designs that are widely used in data centers. By increasing the data transmitted through each optical lane, the chip enables hyperscalers to build faster interconnects without increasing the number of fiber connections.

Optical DSPs are an essential component of pluggable transceivers: they are the modules that convert electrical signals from switches into light pulses traveling across fiber cables. These connections form the backbone of data center networks that support AI training and inference workloads, which move vast volumes of data between processors.

Expanding Connectivity for AI

Broadcom says the Taurus processor is built primarily for 1.6-terabit optical modules. These modules are expected to become a core building block for next-gen switching platforms that support massive AI clusters.

“Taurus, the industry’s first 1.6T DSP based on 400G/lane I/O, doubles the throughput per lane to enable the next generation of 3.2T optical modules,” said Vijay Janapaty, VP and general manager of Broadcom’s Physical Layer Products Division. He added that the design also supports the company’s efforts to lower power consumption while boosting connectivity for AI and cloud networks.

In addition to supporting 1.6-terabit modules, the architecture is intended to serve as a stepping stone toward even faster optical systems. The company says the same signaling approach could enable future modules capable of 3.2 terabits per second, which would align with emerging switch platforms expected to deliver more than 200 terabits of total switching capacity.

Broadcom said it has begun providing samples of the Taurus BCM83640 to early customers and development partners.

The Market for Optical Interconnect Technology

There is growing competition among semiconductor vendors supplying optical interconnect technology. The market for high-speed transceivers is expanding rapidly as hyperscalers build large clusters of GPUs and accelerators for training AI models.

Vladimir Kozlov, CEO and founder of research firm LightCounting, said shipments of 1.6-terabit and 3.2-terabit optical transceivers could exceed 100 million units over the next five years. Roughly half of those modules may rely on 400-gigabit optical lanes as operators push for greater network throughput inside AI data centers, he said.

Some suppliers are pursuing coherent optical technologies designed for longer-distance connections and advanced signal processing. Others, including Broadcom, continue to refine intensity-modulation and direct-detection approaches that have dominated shorter data center links due to their lower cost and power requirements.

The competition has intensified as vendors race to establish platforms that could define multiple generations of networking hardware. In other words, decisions made by transceiver manufacturers today, like which DSP architecture to adopt, could influence product roadmaps for several years.