LPO

LPO, or linear pluggable optics, is the less radical answer to the same power problem CPO tackles. Instead of re-architecting where the optics live, it strips out some of the power-hungry chips — notably the digital signal processing — from an otherwise familiar module. That makes it a lower-disruption path to optics power savings, and cost and power pressure make these DSP-free links attractive in the near term without forcing a wholesale change in how networks are built.

The limitation is reach and interoperability. Removing the signal processing tightens the link budget, so LPO may end up confined to shorter, well-controlled connections rather than serving as a general replacement. It is the kind of incremental fix that can pre-empt a bigger architectural shift if it proves good enough. The component makers leaning into it — Eoptolink, MACOM, Credo and Semtech — are exposed to how wide that usable window turns out to be.