New breakthrough in data center optical connectivity: Tyco Electronics and Amphenol lead LPO, 100G-DR-LPO new standard landing

On the eve of the Optical Communications Conference (OFC) in 2025, the Linear Pluggable Multi Source Protocol (LPO MSA) working group announced the completion of the development of the 100 Gb/s channel linear pluggable single-mode optical transmission specification (100G-DR-LPO).
This milestone achievement not only standardizes linear pluggable optical technology, but also lays an important foundation for the design of next-generation high-speed computing and data centers.
Low power optical module (LPO) is a low-power pluggable module that achieves signal linearization transmission by eliminating the DSP chip. This design simplifies the connection structure, effectively reducing costs, latency, and energy consumption. Its energy-saving effect is particularly significant, and compared to traditional pluggable optical modules, the power consumption of LPO can be reduced by about 50%.
By adopting LPO technology, energy consumption can be reduced at both the module and system levels, which will help data centers manage their massive power consumption more efficiently while meeting the growing demand for high-speed computing.
The 100G-DR-LPO technology can achieve a maximum Ethernet transmission rate of 800G, meeting the high-speed connection requirements for artificial intelligence and machine learning applications, and is suitable for network computing devices such as switches and network interface cards (NICs). This technology provides a standardized framework for optical cables, connectors, and other system components, significantly simplifying the fiber optic cabling process. LPO fiber can be easily connected to transceivers, supporting an increase in transmission rate.
Hadrien Louchet, a receiver testing expert at Keysight Technologies, said, "In short, with LPO, the industry has better energy-efficient interconnect technology that can support rapid expansion of artificial intelligence clusters. ”
As a member of the LPO Interconnection Systems Alliance (MSA), TE Connectivity has developed various solutions for 800 G systems, including LPO transceivers.
The OSFP-XD LPO optical module showcased by the company at OFC 2025 is an innovative PCIe 6.0 optical connectivity solution.
This module supports a transmission rate of 64GT/s per channel and can achieve a total bandwidth of up to 256 GB/s in a 16 channel configuration, while maintaining a low power consumption of 8.5W. Its transmission capacity can reach 800 GB of data, which has higher integration density and bandwidth advantages compared to traditional connectors.
Amphenol Communications Solutions is also developing LPO related products.

This specification covers four types of Ethernet parallel single-mode links: 100 Gb/s, 200 Gb/s, 400 Gb/s, and 800 Gb/s. It also includes interoperability requirements at the component level, module level, and system level, which cover the optoelectronic interfaces at a working frequency of 100 Gb/s per channel.
The connectors involved in the 100G-DR-LPO standard include compact transceivers. According to the specifications, the transceiver has external dimensions such as QSFP, QSFP-DD, and OSFP, and is compatible with SMF connectors. The test also includes LPO and LC connectors. The specification has put forward requirements for fiber optic cables, including single-mode optical cables and LPO optical cables.
Ryan Latchman, Chairman of the Marketing Department of LPO MSA, said, "It's exciting to see the rapid development of LPO MSA and the network ecosystem. This clearly demonstrates the benefits of using open standards to drive optimal interconnect solutions. ”
Looking ahead to the future, LPO MSA, together with organizations such as OIF and IEEE, has set its sights on the next generation of linear 200 Gb/s high-speed transmission per channel.