Marvell has become a founding member of the eXtra dense Pluggable Optics (XPO) Multi-Source Agreement (MSA), an industry initiative organized by Arista Networks to define a new optical transceiver form factor purpose-built for AI-scale infrastructure.

The XPO concept is designed to dramatically increase bandwidth density by enabling liquid cooling at the module level. XPO modules are substantially larger in size than octal small form factor pluggable (OFSP) modules commonly deployed in today’s data centers, but they deliver a step-function increase in performance. Each XPO module integrates 64 lanes operating at 200 Gbps, eight times more than current pluggable modules for a total of 12.8 Tbps of bandwidth per module.¹

This leap in bandwidth is enabled in part by an integrated cold plate that can deliver up to 400W of cooling per module. The combination of larger modules, significantly higher lane counts, and liquid cooling delivers a four-fold increase in bandwidth density for switches across scale-up, scale-out or scale-across network architecture.

Transforming Switch and Data Center Density

Higher bandwidth density translates directly into more efficient system designs. An XPO based 204.8T switch could accommodate 16 XPO modules within a compact 1U form factor (1.75 inches high). By contrast, an equivalent switch built using 1.6T pluggable modules would require 128 ports and a much larger 4U form factor.¹

At the data center level, these density gains compound. XPO modules could reduce the rack space required for optical modules by up to 75% and overall floor space by approximately 44%, helping operators scale AI infrastructure while containing both capital and operational costs.¹

New Form Factor, Familiar Silicon

While XPO represents a new physical form factor, it builds on a familiar technology foundation. XPO modules are designed to complement existing modules and other interconnect technologies rather than compete directly against them. Adoption of XPO will drive advances in switch design, helping to streamline development and accelerate ecosystem adoption.

The XPO specification will support all major optical standards, including DR, FR, LR, and SR for intra data center connectivity, as well as ZR and ZR+ for data center interconnect applications. XPO modules are designed to support fully retimed, half retimed, and linear optics, providing flexibility across a wide range of deployment models.

Expanding the Module Ecosystem

XPO builds on an ongoing strategy at Marvell to optimize interconnect technologies for greater power efficiency, performance and return on investment. Nearly a decade ago, Marvell introduced the industry’s first pluggable modules for data center interconnect, helping hyperscalers reduce interconnect capital costs.

Since then, Marvell has continued to lead by cultivating a robust module ecosystem and pioneering innovation such as integrated DSPs and transmit-retimed optics to further improve efficiency and total cost of ownership. XPO represents the next step in this evolution, extending these principles to meet the unprecedented bandwidth and power demands for AI-driven data centers. cost.

The XPO MSA will make its debut at OFC 2026 in Los Angeles with live demonstrations across the show floor.

1. Arista Networks “XPO: Redefining Pluggable Optics for AI Networking,” March 2026.

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