Key points
- Marvell takes 38 demos to the ECOC optics show
- Four are billed as 2nm industry firsts
- Co-packaged optics target copper's limits in AI networks
Marvell Technology (MRVL) plans to demonstrate optical interconnect technology built on a 2-nanometer process at the European Conference on Optical Communications this week. Marvell calls four of its 38 planned demonstrations industry firsts.
The demonstrations target AI data centers as network speeds move from 1.6 terabits per second toward 3.2 terabits. Marvell announced the lineup Monday, ahead of ECOC 2026 in Malaga, Spain, which runs September 20 through 24.
"AI data center operators need optical interconnect technologies that deliver higher bandwidth, lower power and greater security across every part of the network," said Xi Wang, senior vice president and general manager of Marvell's Connectivity Business Unit, in the release.
What Marvell is showing
The four 2nm demonstrations cover different links in an AI network. The release names no availability or sampling dates for any of them.
| Demo | What the release says it does |
|---|---|
| 400G-per-lane optical PAM4 | Low-power optical connections enabling the move to 3.2T |
| 800G ZR/ZR+ pluggable with MACsec | Encrypted long-reach links, on the Libra coherent DSP |
| 1.6T ZR and coherent-lite O-band | Links within and between data center buildings |
| 102.4T co-packaged optics platform | Optics built into the chip package, at 200G per lane |
The co-packaged optics platform places optical components alongside switch or accelerator silicon, reducing the distance electrical signals must travel before becoming light. Marvell says the approach is needed "as per-lane speeds and multi-rack AI pods push past copper's reach limits." Copper cables carry most short connections inside server racks today, and their usable distance shrinks as speeds rise.
Marvell sells the digital signal processors, or DSPs, that sit inside optical transceiver modules and convert electrical signals to a form lasers can carry. The company said in August it expects about $18 billion in revenue by fiscal 2028, and in the same month signed a custom AI chip deal with Google that included a warrant worth up to $12.2 billion.
The rest of the show, and the stock
Rivals are bringing their own AI-network hardware to Malaga. Coherent (COHR) will show a 3.2T pluggable transceiver, a 6.4T near-packaged optical engine and a new integrated optics platform called PhotonLink. "Scaling AI infrastructure requires more than bandwidth - it requires solving power, integration and thermal challenges together," said Sanjai Parthasarathi, Coherent's chief marketing officer, in that company's release. Lumentum (LITE) plans to demonstrate an eight-wavelength laser module that supplies external light for co-packaged optics. The layers of this market, from switch silicon to transceivers, are laid out in our AI networking stocks explainer.
Marvell shares closed at $244.25 on Friday, up 1.4%. In premarket trading on Monday the stock was at $251.18 as of 8:29 a.m. Eastern, up 2.8%, according to Robinhood market data. The shares remain about 26% below their 52-week high of $329.88, set on June 18. Marvell reports its next results against a fiscal 2027 revenue forecast of about $12 billion, and the company holds an investor day on October 6.
