New Framework outlines OIF’s vision for 448 Gbps interconnects, setting the stage for future Implementation Agreements that will power AI, HPC and communications systems

OIF convened its Q4 2025 Technical and MA&E Committees Meeting in Busan, South Korea, Nov. 3–7, where global members gathered to advance the organization’s work across optical, electrical, management and energy-efficient interfaces and took a decisive step toward enabling the next generation of high-speed interconnects with the release of the Next Generation CEI-448G Framework Document.

Held fully in-person and exclusive to members, the Busan meeting drew more than 150 technical experts and industry leaders representing every segment of the communications and compute ecosystem. The week’s sessions underscored OIF’s role as the global platform for collaboration and consensus building — aligning semiconductor, system and network companies on interoperable solutions essential to the AI era.

Coinciding with the meeting, OIF released its Next Generation CEI-448G Framework Document, which defines the application spaces, technical challenges and potential solution paths for electrical interfaces operating at 448 Gbps per lane. The publication marks a significant milestone in OIF’s ongoing work to establish the foundations for future Implementation Agreements (IAs) that will guide interoperability across AI, High-Performance Computing (HPC) and cloud infrastructure.

“This meeting in Busan reflects the best of what OIF stands for — global collaboration and technical leadership,” said Nathan Tracy, OIF President (TE Connectivity). “The CEI-448G Framework represents the collective expertise of our members, built through months of dialogue and industry input that began with the 448G Signaling Workshop in April. It’s a testament to what we can achieve together as we chart the path toward the next generation of interoperable electrical interfaces.”

The Framework builds on OIF’s more than 25-year history of IAs, including CEI-56G, CEI-112G and CEI-224G. It explores interoperability points and measurement methodologies for future 448G systems, examining advanced modulation schemes such as PAM6 and PAM8, enhanced FEC options, and innovative approaches to managing signal integrity, latency and power at unprecedented speeds.

“This meeting in Busan marks an important inflection point for OIF and the industry,” said Cathy Liu, OIF Vice President (Broadcom Inc). “The CEI-448G Framework provides a foundation for the next decade of interconnect innovation — identifying the key technical challenges that must be solved to achieve scalable, interoperable and power-efficient systems.”

The release of the Next Generation CEI-448G Framework document builds on the momentum of OIF’s 448G Signaling Workshop, held in April, which brought together a sold-out audience of engineers and researchers from across the ecosystem to assess technology readiness and gather input on modulation, reach and interoperability requirements. Insights from that workshop directly informed the Framework, which now sets the stage for the next phase of OIF’s 448G initiative — such as developing individual projects for XSR, VSR, MR and LR applications that will define detailed electrical parameters, FEC architectures, test methodologies and interoperability criteria for 448G deployment.

The Busan meeting also featured guest speaker Professor Hoi-Jun Yoo, ICT Chair Professor at KAIST and Director of the AI-PIM Center, who presented “K-AI Semiconductor: Present and Future.” His keynote examined South Korea’s national semiconductor initiatives, the evolution from GPU to NPU to PIM architectures and the synergies between advanced AI semiconductors and next-generation interconnect standards, such as OIF’s CEI-448G.

OIF’s Q1 2026 Technical and MA&E Committees meeting will take place February 9-13, 2026 in Palm Springs, Calif.

About OIF

OIF is where the optical networking industry’s interoperability work gets done. With more than 25 years of effecting forward change in the industry, OIF represents the dynamic ecosystem of 160+ industry leading network operators, system vendors, component vendors and test equipment vendors collaborating to develop interoperable electrical, optical and control solutions that directly impact the industry’s ecosystem and facilitate global connectivity in the open network world. Connect with OIF on LinkedIn, on X, on Bluesky and at https://www.oiforum.com/.

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“The CEI-448G Framework represents the collective expertise of our members, built through months of dialogue and industry input that began with the 448G Signaling Workshop in April,” said Nathan Tracy, OIF President (TE Connectivity).