The Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exhibition (OFC) 2025 in San Francisco provided a platform for showcasing the latest advancements in optical communications. Lightwave’s Ana Berry, a seasoned technology correspondent, met with Brooks Henderson, Director of Product Management at Phononic, to discuss the growing heat challenges associated with next-generation 800G and 1.6T transceivers. Learn how Phononic’s market-leading thermoelectric coolers and their ability to tailor designs are crucial in overcoming these hurdles. Ana also spoke with Phononic CEO Tony Atti about an exciting new server cooling concept, demonstrating the broader applicability of Phononic’s thermal management expertise.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
[Ana Berry]
All right. We are here at OFC 2025. I’m speaking with Brooks at Phononic. And one thing that sets you guys apart is your different range of TECs. So I want you to explain what that is and what sets you apart.
[Brooks Henderson]
All right. So great question. We are a market leader in thermoelectric coolers, for next gen transceivers 800 gig, 1.6 T transceivers. The heat loads are increasing. The demand is increasing. So we have a technology platform that can scale along with our customers’ record -breaking demands.
[Ana Berry]
And another thing that also differentiates you is your proprietary design component. So talk a little bit about that and the importance of it.
[Brooks Henderson]
Sure. You know, every customer has slightly different requirements. And our ability to really get in deep with the design and do thermal modeling and simulations yields world -class performance.
[Ana Berry]
Wonderful. Well, to dive a little bit deeper into Phononic, we’re going to talk with CEO Tony Atti. But thank you, Brooks, and have a great show here at OFC 2025.
[Brooks Henderson]
Thanks a lot, Anna.
[Ana Berry]
All right. Let’s speak with Tony. All right. I’m here with Tony, and we’re going to talk a little bit about this new proof of concept for the cooling system server. Tell us about it.
[Tony Atti]
Well, with the drive toward 1.6 terabyte transmission almost overnight. That’s increased the need for optical transceivers by a factor of 10, a significant majority of which now need to be cooled, a platform anchor for Phononic’s thermoelectric technology. But that’s now become almost like the Trojan horse or the stepping stone to other cooling opportunities within the server itself. Top of rack switch, the GPU or the CPU core, or even the physical racks that the servers get integrated into, whether they’re using air or water. If you look at Phononic’s technology platform, those opportunities move beyond our devices, but into the mechanical, the thermal, the software, the electronic controls. If you look in our booth, you see examples of our technology cooling platform. And when you look at the server opportunities in those areas, their needs look a lot like the refrigerators and freezers in HVAC that Phononic has developed and licensed to other respective markets. So we’re bringing that entire technology platform and have actually integrated our devices. with that mechanical thermal design support into the GPU itself. And the early data that we’re measuring is showing a dramatic improvement in energy and cooling efficiency.
[Ana Berry]
Wonderful. Well, thank you for this. Great solutions you’re providing when it comes to this important feature of cooling. And have a great 2025 OFC. Thank you for having us.
[Tony Atti]
Thank you for having us. Same to you.
[Ana Berry]
Thanks for watching.