Casela Technologies has introduced the ELSA-16, a cutting-edge external laser source platform engineered to meet the escalating bandwidth demands of artificial intelligence and high-performance computing systems. The platform integrates 16 high-power Distributed Feedback lasers with advanced control electronics, offering unprecedented flexibility and scalability for optical interconnects.
The ELSA-16 platform delivers remarkable technical capabilities, including customizable power profiles supporting 200-300 mW class lasers and fiber-coupled output powers ranging from 150-200 mW per channel. Its design supports multiple wavelength options, including 1310nm and CWDM-4 configurations, with the potential to enable up to 128 optical channels through innovative 16 x 8-comb source configurations.
Milind Gokhale, Co-Founder and CTO of Casela, emphasized the platform's significance, describing it as a quantum leap in external laser source technology. The ELSA-16's architecture is particularly notable for its ability to support dense wavelength division multiplexing and high-bandwidth chiplet input/output operations.
Key technological innovations include broad wavelength support, precise wavelength control, and exceptional wall plug efficiency. The platform is strategically designed to address the growing computational demands of AI and machine learning systems, offering a pathway to more compact, power-efficient, and cost-effective optical interconnects.
At the Optical Fiber Communication Conference (OFC) 2025, Casela plans to showcase a 16-wavelength version of ELSA-16, demonstrating its potential to support over 128 channels in a compact, pluggable form factor. This presentation underscores the platform's potential to redefine scalability in advanced computing infrastructure.
The ELSA-16 represents a significant advancement in optical networking technology, providing a crucial solution for next-generation AI and high-performance computing systems that require increasingly sophisticated and efficient data transmission capabilities.
