ISEELINK Interview: DCI DWDM & OXC/OCS for AI Interconnect

ICC News: Against the backdrop of explosive growth in AI computing power, the continued advancement of the "East-to-West Computing" project, and the accelerated construction of all-optical networks, high-speed, low-latency, and high-capacity optical transmission infrastructure is entering a new demand cycle. As a national high-tech enterprise and a specialized and innovative enterprise, Shenzhen ISEELINK Communication Co., Ltd.relying on its self-developed capabilities across the entire optical and electrical layers, is accelerating its expansion in three major areas: metropolitan optical transmission, data center interconnect (DCI), and all-optical switching, gradually becoming a significant player in the computing power optical interconnection sector.

　　Recently, ICC News interviewed Mike Yu, founder and general manager of ISEELINK Communication, to discuss the evolution of the optical transmission industry, the company's technology roadmap, and its globalization strategy.

　　From Technology to Entrepreneurship: Three Leaps in 11 Years

　　Mike Yu has over 15 years of experience in the optical communication industry, having worked for leading companies and long been engaged in the research and development of optical communication subsystems, testing instruments, and optical devices. He has a deep understanding of the industry chain's technological logic and downstream demands. In 2015, he founded ISEELINK Communication in Shenzhen, clearly aiming for a professional and refined approach.

　　Till now, ISEELINK has gone through three stages of development:

　　• 2015–2018 (Technology Accumulation Period): Completed the research and development and mass production of a full range of optical switches (1×2, 2×2, 1×N, M×N), OLP/BYPASS optical protection equipment, and OLM optical cable online monitoring system, and initially established core technical capabilities and an early customer base.

　　• 2019–2022 (Expansion Period): Launched the OSP3800 series 5G fronthaul semi-active wavelength division multiplexing (CWDM) equipment and DWDM frame-type WDM equipment, entering the private network markets of the three major domestic operators and industries such as power, transportation, and finance, and achieving large-scale commercial use.

　　• From 2023 to present (DCI Interconnection Upgrade Period): In response to the interconnection needs of AI computing power clusters and data centers, we launched the DCI5800 series of high-capacity, high-density wavelength division multiplexing equipment, open optical line systems (OLS), and OXC/OCS Optical Circuit Switching , and simultaneously expanded our business at home and abroad.

　　DCI DWDM: Structural Opportunities in Certainty-Based Sectors

　　Mike Yu's assessment of the current DCI DWDM market is quite clear: the growing demand for AI computing power cluster interconnection brings medium- to long-term certainty to the industry, and it will maintain a high level of prosperity in the next 3-5 years. Technically, 400G DWDM has entered the stage of large-scale deployment, and 800G is moving from trials to commercial use; at the same time, the expansion of small and medium-sized computing centers also brings new growth opportunities.

　　However, he also pointed out that the rising popularity of the industry is intensifying competition. The traditional DWDM field has attracted some listed companies in optical devices and modules, increasing price pressure from operator procurement and highlighting product homogenization and low-price competition.

　　Faced with industry changes, Optical Communication has chosen a strategy of "strengthening its foundation and expanding its innovation": on the one hand, consolidating its core business of optical switches and other core components; on the other hand, accelerating its transformation from a component supplier to a system and solution provider. By integrating capabilities across the entire value chain—from R&D, production, delivery, operation, and maintenance to technology adaptation—the company has effectively avoided homogeneous competition with single-component manufacturers. Its flagship product, the DCI5800 DWDM equipment, adopts an independently developed architecture, with core performance comparable to mainstream industry levels, achieving a harmonious balance between independent controllability and practicality.

　　Dual-engine approach: Simultaneously cultivating domestic and international markets

　　In 2024, in terms of market strategy, ISEELINK Communications has clearly proposed a dual-drive path of "deepening domestic presence + overseas expansion." For overseas, the company focuses on emerging markets such as Southeast Asia and Russia, matching the pace of local data center construction and optical transmission network upgrades to serve mainstream operators and regional computing power service providers. The company has begun expanding its overseas sales and technical support teams to improve localized delivery and service capabilities and avoid getting bogged down in simple price competition.

　　From a technical perspective, ISEELINK Communication's R&D team primarily comes from leading domestic optical communication companies, possessing independent development capabilities in four areas: optical layer hardware, electrical layer hardware, embedded software, and intelligent network management. The Shenzhen R&D center has established a comprehensive confidentiality and quality control system, with the core part primarily manufactured in-house, while also ensuring performance consistency and delivery control.

　　Product portfolio: targeting backbone, computing power interconnection, and all-optical scheduling.

　　Currently, ISEELINK Communication has developed three main product lines, targeting backbone transmission, computing power IDC interconnection, and all-optical scheduling scenarios respectively:

　　• The OSP3800 integrated chassis-based DWDM system platform adopts a self-developed optical/electrical layer architecture and intelligent network management, supporting various slot chassis (1U/2U/3U/5U) to meet the needs of low-cost DWDM transmission. It implements an open optical line system (OLS), adapting to mainstream IPoDWDM commercial deployment architectures and supporting customers using a direct wavelength output service mode of "third-party switch + ZR/ZR + coherent optical module." This platform can serve as one of the alternatives to traditional OTN equipment. The OLS adopts an open, decoupled architecture without vendor binding, fully compatible with mainstream commercial switches and white-box equipment on the market, and comes equipped with a complete set of optical layer hardware units, including standardized OMU/ODU multiplexing/demultiplexing, EDFA/Raman optical amplification, OLP line protection, OTDR fault detection, and OSC optical monitoring.

　　• The DCI5800 series DCI DWDM equipment is designed for cross-domain interconnection of large data centers and intelligent computing centers. It emphasizes high capacity, low latency, and low power consumption, creating a high-density DWDM transmission platform. Available in 1U/2U chassis, it can simultaneously meet the needs of lightweight deployments in minimalist data centers and high-density networking in large computing power data centers. The equipment highly integrates a full range of functions, including Transponder/Muxponder OTU wavelength conversion, OMU/ODU multiplexing/demultiplexing, OBA/OPA/OLA/RFA optical amplification, OLP line protection, OTDR fault detection, WSS wavelength selection, and OCM optical channel monitoring. It is fully compatible with industry-standard server racks and can be quickly adapted to various data center scenarios, including new and upgraded facilities, offering flexible deployment and strong compatibility. Equipped with a self-developed mature coherent DSP algorithm, it boasts excellent dispersion tolerance and OSNR signal-to-noise ratio, supports ultra-long-distance transmission without electrical repeaters, supports bidirectional transmission with single/dual fibers, and is compatible with all mainstream network topologies, such as point-to-point, chain, star, and ring. It is equipped with OLP 1+1 optical layer protection and MSP1+1/SNCP1+1 electrical layer dual protection mechanisms, and is compatible with all mainstream high-speed service accesses of 10G/100G/400G, comprehensively covering diverse application scenarios such as cross-provincial long-distance transmission, intra-city interconnection, cross-city computing power scheduling, and government and enterprise private networks.

　　• OXC/OCS Optical Circuit Switching (OCS): featuring low insertion loss, low latency, and high reliability. With the upgrading and expansion of high-speed optical module rates, the demand for matrix optical switches and intelligent optical path scheduling is extremely high. Optical Communication has completed the corresponding production line upgrades and capacity expansion, supporting both mass production and customized needs.

　　Industry positioning and a three-year plan

　　In terms of corporate positioning, ISEELINK Communication clearly defines itself as a "DWDM equipment manufacturer + big data transmission solution provider," focusing on four directions: domestic substitution, high speed and low latency, rapid delivery, and intelligent operation and maintenance. At the hardware level, it focuses on niche areas such as DWDM equipment, optical switches, optical protection, and online monitoring of optical cables, avoiding direct competition with leading giants in the general market. At the solution level, it provides end-to-end integrated services, adapting to the differentiated needs of operators, cloud vendors, intelligent computing centers, and industry private networks.

　　In the future, the company's technological development will advance in four directions: high speed, all-optical, intelligent, and domestic production.

　　• Accelerate the large-scale commercialization of 800G DWDM systems to increase single-fiber capacity;

　　• Iterate on high-capacity all-optical switching products to achieve automatic optical path scheduling;

　　• Introduce AI capabilities to optimize network management systems and reduce operational complexity;

　　• Continuously promote the independent control of core components and improve supply chain security.

　　According to Mike Yu, the company's three-year goals include: maintaining its technological leadership in 400G products, achieving large-scale shipments of 800G products, propelling all-optical switching products into the world's top tier, aiming for a top-three position in the domestic DCI DWDM market, and continuously increasing the proportion of overseas revenue.

　　Summary

　　From a technical expert to an entrepreneur, Mike Yu led ISEELINK Communications through an eleven-year transformation from a component supplier to a system equipment and solutions provider. In the midst of accelerated computing network construction, this specialized and innovative company is attempting to find a stable growth trajectory in both domestic and international markets through full-stack self-developed technologies and a differentiated positioning.

　　Contact ISEELINK

　　Tel：+86-0755-32904618

　　Web: www.iseelink.com

　　Overseas Sales Email : global@iseeink.com

　　Domestic Sales Email: national@iseelink.com

Note：This article is reprinted from ICC Information, The original link is: http://en.iccsz.com/News.Asp?id=1402