NVIDIA and Cisco Propose 400G-per-Lane Pluggable Optics for AI Fabrics
The proposed USFP form factor targets 400-gigabit-per-lane signals and up to 12.8 terabits per second in an OSFP-sized footprint.
NVIDIA and Cisco announced plans October 12 for Ultra-Dense Small Form Factor Pluggable, or USFP, optical modules designed for 400-gigabit-per-second electrical lanes in AI data-center fabrics.
The first planned configuration would place 16 full-duplex lanes in an OSFP-sized footprint, supporting up to 12.8 terabits per second. The companies say that could provide four times the front-panel bandwidth density and about 1.3 times the power efficiency of 200-gigabit-per-lane modules. These figures are design targets and vendor comparisons, not independent operating results.
TE Connectivity and Amphenol are participating in the connector and module ecosystem. NVIDIA and Cisco plan to develop an open industry specification through a community-led multi-source project; availability, interoperability qualification and production schedules were not specified.
Official source · Source reviewed October 21, 2026.