Optical communications specialist Browave is gearing up for a major ramp-up in co-packaged optics (CPO) production, signaling growing momentum behind next-generation data center networking. The company says its CPO manufacturing will move into a crucial mass-production stage in the second half of 2026, with monthly output expected to climb to the “thousand-level” by the fourth quarter of that year.
That timeline is important for anyone tracking how AI infrastructure and hyperscale data centers are evolving. As computing demand surges, networks inside data centers are under pressure to move more data faster while using less power. Co-packaged optics has emerged as one of the most closely watched solutions because it places optical engines closer to switching silicon, potentially improving bandwidth density and reducing the energy and heat associated with traditional pluggable optics.
Browave’s projection suggests it expects customer demand to rise in step with this transition. Reaching “thousand-level” monthly capacity by late 2026 implies the company is preparing not just for pilot runs, but for sustained orders that could support broader deployments. In other words, CPO is shifting from an emerging technology into something that vendors and customers are planning around at scale.
The company also indicated a longer-term ambition to dramatically expand monthly CPO capacity by 2027, pointing to a sizable increase beyond the initial mass-production stage. If that expansion materializes, it would place Browave among the optical component manufacturers positioning themselves for a much larger wave of CPO adoption as AI clusters and high-performance computing networks continue to grow.
With mass-production expected in the second half of 2026 and capacity rising quickly into Q4, Browave’s update adds to the sense that co-packaged optics is approaching a pivotal commercialization window—one that could reshape how the fastest data center networks are built over the next few years.
