SemiAnalysis(@SemiAnalysis_):Optical backplanes are gaining traction and so is the ecosystem surrounding it. Senko showcased the expanded beam backplane connector at CIOE and we estimate that there are ~1500 strands or more of fiber per connector. Optical backplanes will become relevant when hyperscalers and neoclouds eventually implement in-rack optics to connect GPUs and switches within the rack for scale-up. Granted, in-rack optics for scale-up is still rather far out in the roadmap but we think tracking the ecosystem and evaluating its maturity would be indicative of the rate of adoption of optical scale-up.

2026.10.06 19:08

Optical backplanes are gaining traction and so is the ecosystem surrounding it. Senko showcased the expanded beam backplane connector at CIOE and we estimate that there are ~1500 strands or more of fiber per connector. Optical backplanes will become relevant when hyperscalers and neoclouds eventually implement in-rack optics to connect GPUs and switches within the rack for scale-up. Granted, in-rack optics for scale-up is still rather far out in the roadmap but we think tracking the ecosystem and evaluating its maturity would be indicative of the rate of adoption of optical scale-up.