Lumentum, Astera Labs and Corning to show optical PCIe for AI racks

what happened

BusinessWire reports that Lumentum Holdings Inc., Astera Labs, Inc. and Corning Incorporated will jointly demonstrate PCIe-over-optics connectivity for rack-scale AI architectures. The presentation will take place at the 2026 OCP Global Summit in San Jose, California, at Astera Labs booth #B34 from October 12-15.

The setup combines Astera Labs’ Scorpio Smart Fabric Switch, Lumentum’s 1060 nm VCSEL-based optical interconnect platform and Corning multimode fiber. It features fully operational optical links using VCSEL transmitters and photodetectors to extend PCIe connectivity within an AI rack.

The proof-of-concept is designed to run multiple 32 Gb/s NRZ optical channels over Corning multimode fiber and demonstrate an error-free PCIe-5 link. According to the companies, carrying PCIe across parallel optical channels could address reach, cable density, signal integrity, power and thermal constraints that become more important as rack-scale AI systems expand.

Lumentum’s optical engine uses high-density 1060 nm VCSEL and photodetector arrays with advanced packaging, including two-dimensional arrays with backside lens technology. The platform builds on Lumentum’s high-volume 3D-sensing manufacturing base for smartphones. The companies said the demonstration is intended to support denser, scalable and more efficient connectivity between computing components.

why it matters

The project highlights an effort to move optical links closer to compute devices in AI racks. It brings together a switch supplier, a photonics manufacturer and a fiber provider around a working PCIe-5 link with multiple optical channels.

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