Nvidia, Cisco and partners introduce new pluggable optics format for AI data centers

Nvidia, Cisco, TE Connectivity and Amphenol have introduced a new pluggable optics form factor built for AI data centers. In data centers, the format of a component decides who can build it, who can buy it, and how quickly it can be swapped out. What the four companies are building Pluggable optics are the small modules that slot into network switches. They turn electrical signals into light so data can travel across fiber between servers. The new form factor arrives as each partner pushes its own optical roadmap. Cisco has been expanding its pluggable lineup with 1.6T OSFP modules and 800G Linear Pluggable Optics, known as LPO. Cisco’s 800G LPO solutions cut power consumption by approximately 50% for the optical modules and around 30% overall for the switch. LPO strips out some of the signal-processing electronics that normally sit inside each module, meaning less heat and a smaller electricity bill. Cisco also unveiled its Silicon One G300 switching silicon on February 10, 2026. The chip can switch data at 102.4 Tbps. TE Connectivity and Amphenol supply high-density connectors and interconnect hardware. Both showed components for co-packaged and linear pluggable architectures at ...