Marvell Extends Connectivity Leadership with AEC Ecosystem Demonstrations at OFC 2025

Rhea-AI Summary

Marvell Technology (NASDAQ: MRVL) has announced demonstrations of 800G and 1.6T Alaska® A PAM4 DSPs for Active Electrical Cables (AECs) at OFC 2025, in collaboration with partners 3M, Amphenol, Broadex, Luxshare-Tech, and TE Connectivity.

The Alaska A 1.6T PAM4 DSP is the industry's first AEC DSP for 200G/lane-based accelerated infrastructure architectures, while the 800G version supports connectivity up to seven meters for 100G/lane applications. The AEC silicon market is projected to grow at 61% annually, reaching $1.3 billion by 2029.

Key features include:

• 1.6T DSP enables >3-meter reach with 32AWG cable
• 800G AEC extends copper connectivity to 7 meters vs traditional 2-meter limit
• Solutions target AI, machine learning, and cloud computing infrastructure

Positive

• First-to-market with 1.6T AEC DSP technology for next-gen infrastructure
• Strong market growth potential with 61% annual growth rate to $1.3B by 2029
• Significant technical advancement extending copper connectivity range from 2m to 7m
• Broad ecosystem support from major industry partners

Negative

• None.

Insights

Semiconductor Industry Analyst

Marvell's showcase of 800G and 1.6T Alaska A PAM4 DSPs with multiple industry partners represents a strategic positioning in the rapidly growing Active Electrical Cable (AEC) market. The timing is particularly significant as this segment is projected to grow at 61% annually to reach $1.3 billion by 2029.

The company's 200G/lane SerDes technology in the 1.6T DSP provides crucial technical advantages by enabling copper connections exceeding three meters within racks—directly addressing specific connectivity challenges in AI compute environments. Similarly, their 800G solution extends copper connectivity to seven meters, significantly outperforming passive copper cables to two-meter reaches.

What's particularly compelling is the broader ecosystem Marvell has assembled, with five major cable manufacturers publicly committing to their technology. This not only validates their approach but also ensures the robust supply chain hyperscalers require when implementing new connectivity architectures.

With immediate general availability of the 1.6T PAM4 DSPs, Marvell is positioned to capture early market share in this growth segment. As AI infrastructure deployments accelerate, these enhanced copper solutions fill a critical connectivity gap between traditional passive copper and more expensive optical solutions, offering a compelling price-performance proposition for data center operators seeking to optimize their accelerated computing environments.

Delivering In-rack Copper Interconnect Solutions that Meet the Growing Bandwidth Requirements of Accelerated Infrastructure

SANTA CLARA, Calif., April 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Marvell Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRVL), a leader in data infrastructure semiconductor solutions, today announced that in collaboration with Active Electrical Cable (AEC) partners 3M, Amphenol, Broadex, Luxshare-Tech, and TE Connectivity, they will showcase demonstrations of both 800G and 1.6T Alaska^® A 1.6T PAM4 DSPs for AECs at OFC 2025. The Alaska A 1.6T PAM4 DSP is the industry's first AEC DSP designed for emerging 200G/lane-based accelerated infrastructure architectures, while the Alaska A 800G PAM4 DSP for 100G/lane delivers connectivity for up to seven meters.

To meet the exploding demand for artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and cloud computing services, data center operators are transforming the computing and connectivity technologies underlying their data infrastructure to dramatically increase performance, efficiency and return on investment of their global operations. AECs—which are copper cables supplemented by DSP technology originally developed for optical modules for longer distances and greater bandwidth—are ideal for in-rack scale-up fabrics as bandwidths increase. The market for AEC silicon is expected to grow at 61% per year to reach $1.3 billion by 2029, according to the 650 Group.¹

The Alaska A 1.6T AEC DSP leverages Marvell industry-leading PAM4 technology using a 200G/lane SerDes to support 1.6T switches and servers, expected to serve the market over the next several years. The industry-leading equalization engine built into the Alaska A 1.6T DSP enables 32AWG cable reaches greater than three meters, addressing the reach requirements for inside-the-rack copper connections. 

The Alaska A 800G AEC with PAM4 DSP technology is built using a 100G/lane SerDes to provide 7-meter copper connectivity for rack-scale AI server architecture, where the switch racks are moved from end of row to middle of row in the connection of crossing two racks between the switch rack and server racks. Without AEC DSPs, passive copper cables at 800G could only reach two meters.²

"The need for more powerful servers, bigger infrastructure and more bandwidth is driving a revolution in connectivity," said Alan Weckel, 650 co-founder. "With its expertise in copper and optical technologies, Marvell is driving this transformation by boosting the capabilities of technologies like AEC DSPs and cultivating an ecosystem to give customers greater choice."

"Enhanced copper connectivity is a critical link for optimizing infrastructure for performance and efficiency," said Xi Wang, vice president and general manager, Connectivity Business Unit at Marvell. "The OFC demonstrations reinforce the strong AEC ecosystem support to ensure hyperscalers have a robust, high-performance, and scalable supply chain for AI infrastructure."

1.6T AEC Partner Booth Demonstrations

• 3M (booth #3427)
• Amphenol (booth #2718)
• Broadex (booth #3142)
• Luxshare-Tech (booth #4905)
•  TE Connectivity (booth #5045)

7-meter 800G AEC Partner Booth Demonstrations

• Amphenol (booth #2718)
• Broadex (booth #3142)
• Luxshare-Tech (booth #4905)
•  TE Connectivity (booth #5045)

Industry-Leading Cable Manufacturer Support

"Leveraging Marvell AEC DSP technology, Amphenol is revolutionizing connectivity across racks and clusters, adapting to market demands, and extending the capabilities of copper. Together, we're propelling the next generation of accelerated infrastructure with optimized, high-bandwidth interconnects," said Brian Kirk, CTO of Amphenol Highspeed Products.

"We believe that 200G/lane AEC will play a key role in the next-generation short-reach intra-rack interconnects," said Tom Tang, CEO of Broadex. "Broadex and Marvell have been collaborating on the Alaska A PAM4 DSPs to jointly provide the industry with a cost-effective AEC solution."

"Marvell Alaska A PAM4 DSPs combined with Luxshare-Tech's Optamax™ bulk cable technology delivers the signal integrity and power efficiency required to enable high-bandwidth, low-latency AI infrastructure, supporting the needs of next-generation machine learning and hyperscale computing environments," said Sky Xiong, CEO of Luxshare-Tech. "This collaboration underscores our shared commitment to advancing semiconductor technology that delivers robust, future-ready connectivity for tomorrow's most demanding computing workloads."

"By integrating Marvell Alaska A DSPs, Molex is delivering AEC solutions that push the boundaries of AI networking," said Chad Jameson, general manager, I/O Solutions at Molex.  "Our collaboration enables hyperscalers to build more efficient and scalable AI compute environments."

"Marvell Alaska A empowers TE Connectivity to offer high-speed, low-latency short-reach copper interconnects," said Zach Galbraith, TE's Director of Global Product Management of External Cable Products. "This collaboration ensures hyperscalers can meet the demands of increasing AI workloads with confidence." 

Availability

The Marvell Alaska A 1.6T PAM4 DSPs for AECs are generally available.

1. Active Electrical Cable Quarterly Market and Long-Term Forecast Report, December 13, 2024.
2. Marvell estimates.

About Marvell

To deliver the data infrastructure technology that connects the world, we're building solutions on the most powerful foundation: our partnerships with our customers. Trusted by the world's leading technology companies for over 25 years, we move, store, process and secure the world's data with semiconductor solutions designed for our customers' current needs and future ambitions. Through a process of deep collaboration and transparency, we're ultimately changing the way tomorrow's enterprise, cloud, automotive, and carrier architectures transform—for the better.

Marvell and the M logo are trademarks of Marvell or its affiliates. Please visit www.marvell.com for a complete list of Marvell trademarks. Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, any statement that may predict, forecast, indicate or imply future events, results or achievements. Actual events, results or achievements may differ materially from those contemplated in this press release. Forward-looking statements are only predictions and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict, including those described in the "Risk Factors" section of our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other documents filed by us from time to time with the SEC. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and no person assumes any obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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SOURCE Marvell

FAQ

What is the projected market size for AEC silicon according to the Marvell (MRVL) announcement?

The AEC silicon market is expected to grow 61% annually to reach $1.3 billion by 2029, according to the 650 Group.

What are the key technical specifications of Marvell's (MRVL) new Alaska A 1.6T PAM4 DSP?

The Alaska A 1.6T DSP uses 200G/lane SerDes technology and enables 32AWG cable reaches greater than three meters for inside-the-rack copper connections.

How does Marvell's (MRVL) 800G AEC improve copper connectivity range?

The 800G AEC extends copper connectivity to 7 meters, compared to traditional passive copper cables that only reach two meters at 800G.

Which partners are collaborating with Marvell (MRVL) for the AEC demonstrations at OFC 2025?

Marvell is collaborating with 3M, Amphenol, Broadex, Luxshare-Tech, and TE Connectivity for the AEC demonstrations.