Co-Packaged Optics (CPO) Testing – SENKO Advanced Components, Inc., a global leader in optical interconnect solutions, announced a landmark collaboration with Advantest Corporation, a leader in automated test equipment, and VIAVI Solutions Inc. to accelerate the adoption of High-Volume Manufacturing (HVM) ready Co-Packaged Optics (CPO) module testing.
Enabling the Next Era of AI Infrastructure
As AI data centers transition from compute-bound to connectivity-bound architectures, the demand for high-speed optical interconnects is surging. The industry is rapidly moving toward Co-Packaged Optics (CPO) to overcome the physical limits of copper. SENKO, Advantest and VIAVI are addressing these integration challenges by delivering an automated, highly repeatable testing platform.
At the center of the demonstration is Advantest’s automated test environment, integrating SENKO’s detachable optical connectivity and VIAVI’s high-speed photonic test capabilities to simulate high-volume CPO manufacturing conditions.
“The transition to co-packaged optics is redefining how the industry approaches network scalability, power efficiency and AI infrastructure,” said Dr. Ryan Vallance, Vice President of Emerging Technologies Group at SENKO. “While photonic technologies have matured rapidly, scalable manufacturing and testing remain among the most significant barriers to widespread deployment.”
The Challenge of CPO Testing
SENKO, Advantest and VIAVI will be demonstrating this pioneering collaboration at the European Conference on Optical Communication (ECOC) in Malaga, Spain, in September 2026.
One of the key requirements for CPO final testing is the ability to transmit 200 Gbps per lane through a detachable optical connector. Traditionally, high-speed optical engines have relied on permanently attached pigtails, making detachable connectivity at these data rates challenging.
Using VIAVI’s photonic and 1.6 Tbps transceiver test platform as a representative optical engine, the solution demonstrates BER (Bit Error Rate) testing of 200 Gbps signals through a detachable connector interface.
“The challenge is no longer proving photonic performance in the lab, but validating it repeatedly in a production environment at AI optics scale,” said Matt Adams, Director, Lab and Production, Product Line Management, VIAVI Solutions. “As volumes increase, consistent measurement and test methodologies become increasingly crucial to ensure quality, reliability and manufacturing efficiency.”
Moreover, in actual manufacturing environments, production volumes may reach tens of thousands of units per month. For example, a test flow operating at 40 UPH (Unit Per Hour) corresponds to more than 28,000 (40 units x 24 hours x 30 days) units per month. These production conditions place significantly greater demands on connector durability and reliability than those encountered with conventional detachable FAUs.
To address this challenge, Advantest has developed and deployed a simulated CPO production test environment designed to evaluate automated photonic test workflows at manufacturing scale. The platform incorporates SENKO’s SAM-T (SENKO Alignment Master-Testing),a calibrated master jumper system engineered for the durability, repeatability, and accuracy required in high-volume manufacturing (HVM) environments. The platform is designed to evaluate automated test workflows, helping demonstrate the throughput and scalability required for next-generation photonic device production.
“As photonic and semiconductor integration become increasingly critical to AI infrastructure, automated and scalable testing solutions are essential to commercial success,” said Ira Leventhal, Vice President of Research & Venture, Advantest. “Our work with SENKO brings together advanced optical connectivity solutions and HVM-ready, high-performance automated test capabilities, enabling customers to accelerate the path from development to production.”
Breakthrough Durability and Throughput
The collaboration centers on SENKO’s innovative detachable interface, SEATTM receptacle and the SAM-T (SENKO Alignment Master-Testing) HVM test connector. Manufactured from ultra-durable tungsten carbide, the test connector provides the optical interface used to couple light in and out of the PIC, while delivering the durability required for repeated mating cycles in high-volume manufacturing environments.
Key features of this technology include:
- Extreme Repeatability: The tungsten carbide construction allows the connector to be attached and detached thousands of times without degradation of the material or optical signal.
- Elastic Averaging: The SAM-T (SENKO Alignment Master-Testing) incorporates the same Elastic Averaging features that will be present in future Fiber Array Units (FAUs) used in final CPO switch integration.
- Throughput Enhancement: The SAM-T (SENKO Alignment Master-Testing) can be ganged to test multiple optical engines simultaneously, enabling mass-testing to be achieved much faster than current single-connector solutions.
- Reduced Downtime: The robustness of the connector allows machines to operate for many thousands of cycles without the need for frequent equipment replacement or maintenance-related downtime.
As co-packaged optics moves toward broader deployment, industry collaboration is becoming increasingly important to establish practical approaches for manufacturing, testing, and serviceability. Through their combined expertise, SENKO, VIAVI, and Advantest are contributing to the ecosystem needed to support scalable CPO adoption.
For more information, visit https://www.senko.com.
