Introduction: Raymond Luo, General Manager of Minisilicon Technology (Minisilicon), provided an in-depth introduction to the company’s low-power 400G/800G CDR+TIA/Driver solutions, which will be a key highlight at the OFC.
April 2, 2025, China Fiber Optics Online News – In 2025, with the widespread adoption of low-cost AI models like DeepSeek, the cost of AI training has significantly decreased, accelerating the construction of global data centers and driving rapid growth in China’s computing power market. As a critical component of computing networks, demand for high-speed 400G/800G optical modules continues to rise. Meanwhile, AI data centers are driving increasingly stringent power efficiency requirements for optical modules, fueling market demand and accelerating industry development of cost-optimized, low-power solutions.
At OFC 2025, we had the privilege of interviewing Minisilicon, a company specializing in high-end electrical chips. General Manager Raymond Luo provided a detailed overview of their upcoming low-power 400G/800G CDR+TIA/Driver solutions. These solutions are fully compatible with both VCSEL and SiPho drivers, support LPO, and aim to provide customers with more cost-effective and energy-efficient chipset solutions.
Caption: Raymond Luo, General Manager of Minisilicon Technology, and Ria, Editor of CFOL
Seven Years of Strategic Development: Building a Complete Portfolio for PON TIA/Driver
Founded in 2017 by a group of U.S.-trained semiconductor experts, Minisilicon Technology combines over 20 years of cutting-edge experience in analog/mixed-signal IC design and precision timing solutions for optoelectronics, with a strategic vision to redefine performance benchmarks in optical interconnect chips.
Raymond explained that the company initially focused on the PON market for two key reasons. First, the PON market is vast, with annual chip demand exceeding 200 million units, offering startups an excellent opportunity for rapid mass adoption. Second, China, being the world’s largest PON market, presents significant opportunities for domestic chip suppliers. Additionally, the PON market is highly cost-sensitive, creating a pressing need for new competitors to break the dominance of imported chips.
From 2022 to 2024, Minisilicon Tech successively launched 2.5G/10G TIAs, Drivers, and LAs, comprehensively covering applications such as FTTR, XGPON/XGSPON ONU and OLT. The company offers both integrated and discrete solutions to precisely meet diverse customer needs.
Raymond acknowledged that while the PON market is highly demanding, it is also fiercely competitive and price-sensitive. Adhering to a long-term strategy, Minisilicon spent seven years completing the development and mass production of a full suite of PON electrical chips. Thanks to its early groundwork, the company secured opportunities to collaborate with clients on 50G PON chipsets development and quickly entered the supply chains of major domestic equipment manufacturers.
Low-Power CDR Innovation: A Full-Scale Entry into High-Speed Data Communication Markets
The high-end electrical chip market for high-speed optical modules has long been dominated by North American companies, particularly DSP chips, which were once in tight supply and became a bottleneck for optical module shipments. Minisilicon understands that only exceptional products can earn market recognition.
Raymond noted that the AIGC market has diverged between North America and China. While the domestic market continues to demand low-cost, low-power 400G solutions, overseas markets are shifting toward higher-speed 800G and 1.6T low-power solutions. Therefore, in the high-end data center market, Minisilicon Tech has chosen "low power consumption" as its breakthrough, focusing on developing CDR chipset solutions based on high-speed adaptive equalization, carving out a differentiated competitive path.
The core of this differentiation lies in two aspects. First, Minisilicon’s choice of wafer fabrication platforms. Based on its team's technical assessment, the company deliberately chose high-performance BiCMOS process platform that support both NRZ and PAM4 modulation. The platform enable monolithic integration (e.g., CDR with laser drivers or CDR with TIAs), effectively reducing module power consumption and size while cutting wafer fabrication costs.
Second, the company’s innovative low-power design and targeted market strategies—such as replacing DSP chips with CDRs and supporting SR/LPO high-speed optical module solutions—have won over some customers. In 2023, Minisilicon Tech launched a 56Gbaud PAM4 linear TIA chip for 400G optical modules, featuring flexible automatic power control (APC) and manual gain control (MGC) functions. This product was successfully adopted by clients for 400G FR4/LR4 modules, becoming a hallmark of Minisilicon’s low-power innovation.
Raymond highlighted that with 800G optical module demand experiencing sustained growth in 2025, Minisilicon is launching 100G per lane TIA/Driver series fully compatible with both SiPho and VCSEL drivers. Additionally, utilizing its low-cost, low-power CDR solutions, the company has integrated TIAs and Drivers to introduce 100G per lan AOC/SR solutions, further optimizing the balance between power efficiency, performance, and cost to help customers stay competitive.
To strengthen its product portfolio for data center applications, Minisilicon significantly increased R&D investment in late 2024 to accelerate the verification and mass production of its 100G per lane chip series. As short-reach interconnect solutions diversify, the company is seizing new opportunities. On one hand, it is prioritizing LPO deployment to adapt to various interconnect scenarios. On the other hand, for the copper cable interconnect market, Minisilicon is focusing on developing 100G per lane ReDriver chips for ACC applications and designing ReTimer chip series for AEC copper interconnects, continuing to lead the industry with innovative products.
Original Article：https://www.c-fol.net/news/5_202504/20250402104245.html