Co-packaged datacenter optics: Opportunities and challenges

High-capacity, high-density, power-, and cost-efficient optical links are undoubtedly of critical importance for datacenter infrastructure. However, the optics roadmap has come to a fork in the road: Is it right to continue on the tried and proven path of pluggable modules or is it time to adopt a new deployment model that involves co-packaged optics? Herein, we aim to shed light on the trade-offs involved, enabling technologies, paths to adoption, and potential impact on datacenter network architecture.