Lightmatter Shows Open-Rack CPO Switch and XPU Tray at OCP Summit
Lightmatter has unveiled two co-packaged optics systems built to Open Compute Project rack and server specifications: a 204.8 Tbps switch tray developed with Flex and a 102.4 Tbps tray carrying four accelerators. Both were shown at the 2026 OCP Global Summit and use the company's Passage CPO, Guide DR laser modules and vClick Optics.
- Lightmatter showed a 204.8 Tbps CPO switch tray in 1RU, developed with Flex as a production validation platform.
- A separate 102.4 Tbps XPU tray carries four accelerator ASICs and two CPUs, with blind-mate optical connections instead of copper.
- Both trays are based on ORv3 and MHS and use Passage CPO, Guide DR and vClick Optics, with fiber from SENKO and Corning.
- Lightmatter claims 2-4x better rack faceplate density versus conventional ELSFP lasers and unidirectional fiber harnesses.
- The Open Silicon Photonics for AI Systems initiative now includes more than 20 companies.
Two trays, two separate collaborations
Lightmatter, which describes itself as the leader in photonic (super)computing, showed Passage co-packaged optics (CPO), Guide DR external laser modules and vClick Optics integrated into a switch tray and an XPU tray. Both designs are based on Open Rack Version 3 (ORv3) and the Modular Hardware System (MHS), and use fiber connectivity from SENKO. They were shown at Lightmatter booth A36.
The switch tray was developed with Flex as a production validation platform. According to Lightmatter, it integrates eight Passage CPO BiDi engines powered by Guide DR laser modules in a liquid-cooled chassis, delivering 204.8 Tbps in a height of 1 rack unit (RU).
The XPU tray was developed separately by Lightmatter. It uses Data Center Modular Hardware (DC-MHS) infrastructure from another major ODM and expanded beam PRIZM TMT optical connector technology from Corning Incorporated. Lightmatter calls it the first proof of concept for the "Architecture Vision: Open Silicon Photonics for AI Systems" white paper contributed to OCP.
What the hardware does
Lightmatter says that, compared with conventional ELSFP lasers and unidirectional fiber harnesses, next-generation switch systems powered by Passage and Guide are 2-4x more efficient in rack faceplate density. CEO Nick Harris said the Flex-based tray "packs the optical bandwidth of a two-to-four rack unit design into one."
The XPU tray houses four accelerator ASICs and two CPUs with 102.4 Tbps of combined scale-up bandwidth. Four BiDi Passage CPO engines and Guide DR laser modules provide the interconnect and blind mate as the tray slides into the rack, which removes the need for copper connections. The company says it is the industry's first compute tray to carry four XPUs connected with 102.4 Tbps of scale-up optical bandwidth in a single rack unit. It is an all-liquid-cooled compute tray built within a standardized chassis.
The release notes that AI scale-up systems are currently limited to one or two racks because of the reach limits of large copper backplanes. The XPU tray prototype replaces that copper with photonic interconnects.
Connectors and partners
The two systems mark industry-first displays of Guide DR and vClick Optics in OCP systems, according to Lightmatter. Guide DR is a high-density laser in a Laser Network Interface Card ("LNIC") form factor and appears in both trays. vClick is a low-loss, detachable fiber connector compatible with mold-and-grind advanced packaging, and it links the fiber to the XPU inside the compute tray.
Lightmatter developed vClick with SENKO, using SENKO's SEAT detachable optical interface and Metallic Pic Coupler (MPC) technologies. High density fiber arrays and connectors for both systems come from SENKO and Corning.
Flex's Colin Chapman said the production validation platform is meant "to validate a manufacturing path for integrating co-packaged optics into production systems at scale." Lightmatter and its partners also take part in the Open Silicon Photonics for AI Systems initiative, announced in August, which now includes more than 20 companies.
What it means for the market
Brendan Burke, Research Director at Futurum, said optics can win a significant share of the nearly $350 billion the firm forecasts for AI networking spend in 2030. In his view, cloud operators want chips and switches from different vendors to connect over an open optical interface and require roadmap stability. He said building optical switch and compute trays to open rack standards with established manufacturers creates a path to volume production within two years.
Lightmatter also presents two technical sessions at the summit. "Open Silicon Photonics for AI Systems: Extending the MHS Platform Contract" runs Tuesday, October 13, at 4:25 p.m. PT (concourse level 212). "High-Speed Open Silicon Photonics Reference Designs" runs Wednesday, October 14, at 1:30 p.m. PT (concourse level 210AE).
The release does not give pricing or availability for either tray.
