OCS Explained: Optical Circuit Switching for AI Data Center Networks

OCS Explained: Optical Circuit Switching for AI Data Center Networks

AI infrastructure is running into a networking problem. Adding more GPUs does not automatically produce more computing performance. As clusters grow to tens of thousands of accelerators, the network connecting them becomes a major constraint on bandwidth, latency, power consumption, and overall system efficiency.

Traditional electrical switching has served data centers well, but its power consumption and physical scaling limitations are becoming harder to manage. Optical Circuit Switching (OCS) offers another approach: instead of converting optical signals into electrical signals for packet processing and forwarding, it establishes direct optical paths between endpoints.

This is one reason OCS has attracted attention from Google, NVIDIA, Microsoft, Alibaba, Huawei, and other companies building large-scale AI infrastructure.

OCS is not a universal replacement for conventional Ethernet or InfiniBand switches. Its value comes from a different switching model, one that works particularly well for large, predictable traffic flows and configurable network topologies.

Let’s examine how it works, the technologies behind it, its practical limitations, and where the industry is deploying it.

🔍 What Is Optical Circuit Switching (OCS)?

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OCS stands for Optical Circuit Switching. It is a switching technology that establishes connections directly in the optical domain.

To understand why this matters, it helps to look at how data center networking has evolved.

From Electrical Switching to Optical Links

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Traditional data center networks relied heavily on electrical switching and copper connections. Switches received electrical signals, processed packets, and forwarded them through electrical interfaces.

As bandwidth requirements increased, optical communication became increasingly common. Optical fibers and transceivers replaced many electrical links between devices.

However, replacing copper cables with optical fibers did not eliminate electrical switching.

In a conventional optical network connection, the data path typically looks like this:

1. An optical transceiver converts incoming optical signals into electrical signals.
2. The switching ASIC processes packets and determines their forwarding paths.
3. The switch converts the outgoing electrical signals into optical signals through another optical interface.
4. The optical signals travel through fiber to the next device.

This process is known as O-E-O conversion (Optical-Electrical-Optical).

The physical transmission medium is optical, but the actual switching operation remains electrical.

Think of it as taking a high-speed train from Beijing to Nanjing, getting off, transferring to another train, and continuing to Shanghai. The train journey is fast, but every transfer introduces additional operations.

OCS takes a different approach.

How OCS Changes the Switching Model

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Instead of converting optical signals into electrical signals for packet forwarding, an OCS device establishes an optical connection between an input port and an output port.

It essentially acts as a configurable optical cross-connect.

Once the connection is established, optical signals pass directly through the selected path without requiring packet-level electrical processing inside the switch.

The simplified architecture looks like this:

Traditional Electrical Switching:

Optical Input
     |
     v
Optical Transceiver
     |
     v
O-E Conversion
     |
     v
Switching ASIC
     |
     v
E-O Conversion
     |
     v
Optical Transceiver
     |
     v
Optical Output


Optical Circuit Switching:

Optical Input
     |
     v
   OCS
     |
     v
Direct Optical Path
     |
     v
Optical Output

The distinction is fundamental: an electrical switch forwards packets, while an OCS establishes optical circuits.

OCS does not need to understand the packet format or transport protocol to connect two optical endpoints. The optical signal remains largely transparent to the switching fabric.

This also means that OCS is not inherently limited to a specific Ethernet or InfiniBand line rate, provided that the optical interfaces, signal characteristics, and physical path are compatible.

Why Electrical Switching Is Becoming a Bottleneck

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Electrical switching remains essential, but its scaling costs are increasing.

Several factors contribute to this pressure.

1. Additional signal processing

O-E-O conversion and packet processing introduce latency and increase system complexity. High-speed electrical switching also requires increasingly sophisticated signal processing and SerDes technology.

2. Higher power consumption

Large switching ASICs consume substantial power and generate significant heat.

For example, a 51.2 Tbps switching ASIC can consume approximately 450 W, while next-generation 102.4 Tbps devices can exceed 1,000 W, depending on the implementation and operating conditions.

These figures exclude the additional power consumed by optical transceivers, cooling systems, and supporting hardware.

3. Increasing hardware costs

High-capacity electrical switches require expensive ASICs, high-speed SerDes interfaces, DSPs, and advanced packaging technologies.

As port speeds and aggregate bandwidth increase, the cost of upgrading the entire switching infrastructure rises.

4. Physical scaling constraints

Electrical switching capacity is closely tied to semiconductor process technology, chip design, packaging, signal integrity, and thermal limits.

Increasing switching capacity is therefore not simply a matter of adding more ports.

OCS moves the switching operation into the optical domain, reducing dependence on these electrical forwarding constraints.

Key Advantages of OCS

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OCS offers several architectural benefits.

Lower Power Consumption

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Because OCS does not perform packet-level electrical switching, its power consumption can be substantially lower than that of a comparable electrical switching layer.

A typical OCS system may consume around 100 W, although actual power depends on port count, optical components, control electronics, and implementation.

Under suitable deployment conditions, this can represent a significant reduction compared with high-capacity electrical switching equipment.

The exact savings must be measured at the system level rather than inferred from the switch specifications alone.

Lower Switching Latency

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An electrical switch must receive and process packets before forwarding them. Depending on the architecture, this involves buffering, scheduling, and packet-processing operations.

An OCS device establishes the optical path physically. Once configured, the data does not undergo packet-by-packet forwarding inside the OCS fabric.

The optical switching fabric can therefore introduce very little additional forwarding latency. Some implementations achieve optical path latency below 100 ns, excluding path configuration time and external transmission delays.

There is an important distinction here:

• Circuit configuration may take milliseconds.
• Data transmission over an established circuit can have very low switching latency.

OCS is not necessarily faster at changing connections. It is efficient at transporting traffic once the connection exists.

Lower System Cost

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Removing electrical forwarding stages can reduce the number of high-power switching components required in certain network architectures.

Google has publicly discussed the economic benefits of integrating OCS into its data center network.

The actual cost advantage depends on the complete network design, including optical transceivers, fiber infrastructure, OCS port density, redundancy, and network control software.

Protocol and Rate Transparency

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One of OCS’s more interesting properties is its relative independence from the traffic protocol and line rate.

The switching fabric redirects light rather than interpreting packets.

An established optical path can therefore carry compatible optical signals at different rates, including 400G, 800G, 1.6T, and future higher-speed generations.

Upgrading the endpoint optics does not necessarily require replacing the OCS switching fabric.

This separates optical path switching capacity from the specific electrical switching ASIC generation and makes incremental network upgrades easier.

Flexible Network Topology

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OCS can dynamically connect different groups of compute resources.

Instead of relying entirely on fixed physical connections, a network controller can configure optical paths according to workload requirements, hardware availability, and network topology.

This is particularly useful in large AI clusters, where communication patterns can be relatively predictable during individual training phases.

Why AI Training Workloads Fit OCS

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Large-scale AI training generates substantial communication traffic between accelerators.

Operations such as All-Reduce and All-Gather require GPUs or other accelerators to exchange large volumes of data.

These collective communication operations often generate long-lived, high-bandwidth flows.

Such traffic is commonly described as elephant traffic or elephant flows.

Conventional packet switching is designed to handle diverse traffic patterns, including short-lived connections, bursty workloads, and unpredictable packet arrivals.

OCS addresses a different problem.

If a workload has a relatively stable communication pattern, the network can establish the required optical connections in advance. Data then flows over those circuits without repeated packet-level forwarding through the optical switching layer.

This makes OCS particularly attractive for:

• Distributed AI model training.
• Large GPU collective communication operations.
• Accelerator clusters with predictable communication phases.
• High-bandwidth inter-rack connections.
• Reconfigurable data center fabrics.

The trade-off is equally clear: OCS works best when the network can predict or coordinate communication demand. It is less effective when traffic changes faster than the optical fabric can reconfigure.

⚙️ How Does OCS Work?

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The concept behind OCS is straightforward. Implementing it requires precise control over light propagation.

Electrical signals can be redirected through electronic switching circuits. Optical signals traveling through fibers are different. Changing their direction, connecting one beam to another, or controlling the optical path requires specialized optical components.

Several technical approaches have emerged.

1. Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS)

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MEMS stands for Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems.

A MEMS-based OCS device uses an array of microscopic mirrors fabricated on a semiconductor substrate. Electrostatic or electromagnetic actuators control the position and angle of individual mirrors.

When an optical signal enters the device, its beam is directed toward a selected mirror. The mirror changes its angle to redirect the beam toward the appropriate output port.

A simplified process looks like this:

Input Fiber Array
       |
       v
  Optical Collimator
       |
       v
  MEMS Mirror Array
       |
       v
 Controlled Reflection
       |
       v
 Output Collimator
       |
       v
Output Fiber Array

By coordinating multiple mirrors, the device can establish different optical connections between input and output ports.

Typical characteristics include:

• Mirror dimensions around the millimeter scale, depending on the design.
• Angular deflection controlled through electrostatic or electromagnetic actuation.
• Optical insertion loss commonly around 1.5–3 dB in representative implementations.
• Switching times generally measured in milliseconds, with some systems around 25 ms.
• Large port configurations, including 300 × 300 or higher, depending on architecture.

MEMS offers a useful combination of port density, optical performance, scalability, and manufacturing maturity.

It has consequently become the dominant approach in many commercial OCS deployments.

Companies including Google and Lumentum have invested heavily in MEMS-based optical switching. Other suppliers, including Accelink and Huawei, have also developed optical switching technologies.

MEMS Limitations

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MEMS relies on physical movement.

Although the mirrors are extremely small, their movement still introduces mechanical considerations.

Potential problems include:

• Mirror sticking or stiction.
• Actuator degradation.
• High-voltage drive circuit failures.
• Mechanical reliability under long operating periods.
• Switching times that are too slow for packet-level traffic scheduling.

These limitations do not make MEMS unsuitable for data center networks. They define the type of workload and switching frequency for which it makes sense.

2. Digital Liquid Crystal (DLC)

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Digital Liquid Crystal technology uses electrically controlled liquid crystal materials to manipulate optical signals.

An external electric field changes the refractive index and optical properties of the liquid crystal. This alters the phase or polarization characteristics of light, enabling the system to control its propagation direction.

Representative characteristics include:

• Potential port counts of 300 × 300 or higher.
• Switching times around 100 ms in some implementations.
• Insertion loss around 4 dB in representative systems.
• No conventional moving mirror array.

DLC can support large optical switching matrices, but its relatively slow switching response and optical loss make it more suitable for specific applications.

Its commercial adoption is also less widespread than MEMS.

3. Direct Beam Steering (DBS) Using Piezoelectric Ceramics

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Direct Beam Steering uses the piezoelectric effect to control the position and orientation of optical components.

Piezoelectric materials deform when an electrical voltage is applied. By precisely controlling this deformation, a system can adjust the alignment of optical fibers or collimators.

In a DBS architecture, two-dimensional piezoelectric actuators rotate fiber collimators to establish direct optical coupling between input and output ports.

The optical signal travels through free space between the aligned optical components.

Unlike some other architectures, DBS does not require a conventional array of intermediate optical reflection or refraction elements.

Its potential advantages include:

• Precise optical alignment.
• Low insertion loss.
• No conventional MEMS mirror array.
• Reduced dependence on moving mirror mechanisms.
• Potential reliability advantages in suitable implementations.

The main challenge is cost.

High-precision piezoelectric actuators, alignment systems, and manufacturing requirements can make DBS more expensive than established MEMS solutions.

4. Silicon Photonics Waveguides (SiPh)

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Silicon photonics uses integrated optical waveguides fabricated on silicon-based photonic chips.

Instead of relying primarily on free-space optical paths and mechanically positioned components, the technology guides light through structures integrated onto a photonic substrate.

Optical switching can be implemented using devices such as:

• Mach-Zehnder interferometers.
• Micro-ring resonators.
• Thermo-optic phase shifters.
• Electro-optic phase shifters.
• Integrated optical switches.

The main attraction is switching speed and integration density.

Depending on the device architecture, silicon photonic switching elements can operate at nanosecond-scale speeds.

However, scaling a complete optical switching fabric to hundreds or thousands of ports remains challenging.

Common limitations include:

• Optical insertion loss.
• Accumulated loss across switching stages.
• Crosstalk between optical paths.
• Thermal sensitivity.
• Complex calibration and control.
• Integration and packaging challenges.

Some experimental architectures report insertion losses approaching 9 dB, although actual results vary significantly by implementation.

Silicon photonics is a promising direction for highly integrated optical switching, but large-scale OCS fabrics require more than fast individual switching elements. Port density, optical loss, packaging, and system reliability must also be addressed.

Comparison of Main OCS Technologies

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These figures are representative rather than universal specifications. Actual performance depends on device design, port count, optical wavelength, control electronics, and switching architecture.

⚠️ What Are the Disadvantages of OCS?

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OCS solves several problems associated with electrical switching, but it introduces its own architectural limitations.

The technology is not designed to replace every function performed by a conventional network switch.

1. Low Resource Utilization for Bursty Traffic

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An established optical circuit reserves a physical connection between endpoints.

If the application stops transmitting data, the optical path generally remains allocated until the network controller reconfigures it.

The result is potentially wasted network capacity.

This is particularly problematic for traffic characterized by:

• Short-lived connections.
• Irregular packet bursts.
• Highly variable bandwidth requirements.
• Frequent changes in communication partners.

Electrical packet switching can statistically multiplex traffic from many sources over shared links.

OCS instead allocates optical paths.

Its efficiency therefore depends heavily on how well the traffic pattern matches the circuit allocation strategy.

2. Limited Switching Speed

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MEMS-based OCS devices typically require milliseconds to establish or change optical connections.

This is substantially slower than packet forwarding in modern electrical switches.

For example:

• Electrical switches can forward packets at line rate.
• MEMS OCS devices generally reconfigure connections on millisecond timescales.
• Silicon photonic switching elements can operate much faster, although complete system performance depends on the architecture.

This distinction matters in AI clusters.

Although large training operations may produce stable communication patterns, actual AI workloads can also involve sudden changes in traffic distribution, especially in MoE (Mixture of Experts) architectures.

A network that requires frequent topology changes may not benefit from a relatively slow optical switching fabric.

3. Limited Fine-Grained Traffic Scheduling

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OCS establishes or removes complete optical connections.

It does not inspect individual packets, maintain conventional packet queues, or make forwarding decisions based on packet headers.

Consequently, it has limited support for:

• Fine-grained packet scheduling.
• Per-flow traffic engineering.
• Packet-level load balancing.
• Dynamic multicast replication.
• Flexible packet duplication.
• Queue-based congestion management.

These functions remain important in modern data center networks.

Optical switching also does not provide the same buffering and packet-level retransmission mechanisms found in conventional electrical switches.

Error detection, retransmission, congestion control, and packet recovery must therefore be handled by other network components and protocols.

4. Immature Ecosystem and Interoperability

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The OCS ecosystem is still developing.

Different vendors may implement different:

• Hardware interfaces.
• Optical control mechanisms.
• Management protocols.
• Network configuration APIs.
• Monitoring capabilities.
• Failure recovery procedures.

Protocols and interfaces such as SNMP and NETCONF/YANG may be used for management, but implementation details and feature support can vary.

Integrating OCS into an existing data center also requires coordination between the optical layer, network control plane, and workload scheduler.

Software-defined networking (SDN) controllers often need to understand the available optical topology and coordinate circuit allocation with application-level communication requirements.

This introduces engineering complexity that conventional Ethernet switching deployments do not necessarily face.

5. Fault Management and Optical Path Constraints

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An optical circuit is a physical connection with specific optical characteristics.

Its operation depends on factors such as:

• Fiber continuity.
• Connector quality.
• Optical power budgets.
• Wavelength compatibility.
• Insertion loss.
• Optical signal integrity.

A failed optical component or incorrectly configured path can interrupt an entire circuit.

Unlike packet-switched fabrics, where traffic can often be redistributed across existing paths, OCS requires the controller to establish an alternative optical connection.

This is why fault detection, topology management, redundancy, and automated recovery are central to production OCS deployments.

🌐 Where Is OCS Used in AI Data Centers?

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The primary application for OCS is large-scale AI computing infrastructure.

Its role varies depending on the network scaling dimension.

The three common categories are Scale Up, Scale Out, and Scale Across.

Scale Up: Connecting Accelerators Within Supernodes

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Scale Up focuses on connecting accelerators within a tightly coupled computing system.

High-bandwidth, low-latency interconnects allow multiple GPUs or AI accelerators to operate as a larger logical computing unit.

OCS can provide configurable optical connections between different accelerator groups or cabinets.

Instead of permanently fixing every physical connection, the system can dynamically compose supernodes according to workload requirements.

This allows infrastructure operators to allocate computing resources more flexibly.

The practical implementation depends on the accelerator architecture. Local connections may still use NVLink, PCIe, proprietary fabrics, or copper interconnects, while OCS extends connectivity across larger physical distances.

Scale Out: Expanding the Data Center Network

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Scale Out connects additional servers and accelerator racks through the data center network.

Traditional architectures commonly use leaf-spine switching.

OCS can be introduced at selected network layers to replace or complement electrical switching.

A typical deployment might use:

• Electrical switches for local packet forwarding.
• Optical transceivers for high-speed fiber connections.
• OCS devices for configurable inter-rack connectivity.
• SDN controllers for optical topology management.

This hybrid architecture combines the strengths of both switching technologies.

OCS can also improve fault isolation.

AI training jobs often run for extended periods. A network failure can disrupt communication across thousands of accelerators and waste substantial compute time.

With an appropriately designed OCS topology, the controller can establish alternative connections around failed components and adjust the network structure.

The goal is to reduce the impact of individual hardware failures without rebuilding the entire network.

Scale Across: Data Center Interconnect

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Scale Across connects multiple data centers or geographically separated computing facilities.

These networks require high aggregate bandwidth, flexible connectivity, and efficient use of optical infrastructure.

OCS is attractive in this scenario because it is relatively independent of the traffic protocol and line rate.

It can establish direct optical paths between different network locations without requiring every intermediate switching stage to perform packet-level forwarding.

This makes OCS a potential building block for large-scale DCI (Data Center Interconnect) architectures.

However, long-distance deployments must still account for optical amplification, dispersion, signal regeneration, fiber attenuation, and transmission distance.

Beyond Data Centers: Metropolitan AI Networks

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OCS is also being considered for metropolitan network applications.

Some telecommunications operators have explored using optical switching to connect regional computing resources and transform central-office locations into distributed AI inference pools.

The concept is to connect geographically separated compute facilities through configurable optical paths.

This could help operators allocate inference capacity across multiple locations while reducing unnecessary electrical switching stages.

Whether this model becomes commercially widespread will depend on deployment costs, traffic demand, network control, and the economics of distributed inference.

🚀 OCS Deployment Progress: Google, NVIDIA, and China

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OCS is no longer limited to laboratory research.

Several major technology companies and telecommunications operators are actively exploring or deploying optical circuit switching in large-scale computing networks.

Google: A Pioneer of Commercial OCS Deployment

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Google is one of the earliest major adopters of OCS.

Its work on optical switching dates back to around 2010.

A simplified timeline illustrates the development:

• 2015: Google published research exploring MEMS-based optical switching.
• 2017: Google disclosed a 3D MEMS OCS architecture designed to support non-blocking optical connections.
• 2022: Google published its Jupiter network evolution work, describing the integration of OCS and software-defined networking into its data center architecture.

The Jupiter architecture uses optical switching to change the connectivity between network elements.

Rather than relying exclusively on fixed electrical switching paths, the network can reconfigure optical connections according to traffic requirements and hardware availability.

Google’s TPU infrastructure is an important example.

Large TPU clusters require substantial communication bandwidth between accelerator groups. OCS helps establish the required connectivity while allowing the network topology to adapt to hardware failures and workload requirements.

This makes OCS a key part of Google’s approach to scaling AI computing infrastructure.

For additional architectural context, see Google Jupiter: A Decade of Evolution in Hyperscale Datacenter Networking.

NVIDIA: Integrating OCS Into Future AI Factory Networks

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NVIDIA is another major player in the optical networking ecosystem.

Its broader strategy involves improving connectivity both within racks and between racks.

These approaches include:

• High-speed electrical interconnects.
• Advanced optical transceivers.
• Co-Packaged Optics (CPO).
• Optical Circuit Switching.

The distinction between CPO and OCS is worth understanding.

CPO integrates optical engines close to the switching ASIC to reduce electrical signaling distance and power consumption.

OCS changes the way optical connections are established between network endpoints.

They address different parts of the network architecture and can coexist.

In March 2026, NVIDIA showcased an AI factory networking direction involving its Feynman architecture and OCS, with a layered approach described as CPO inside racks and OCS between racks.

The broader architectural objective is to improve bandwidth density while allowing the physical network topology to adapt to changing compute requirements and hardware failures.

NVIDIA’s interest in OCS also reflects a larger industry trend: optical networking is becoming an architectural consideration rather than simply a way to extend electrical links over longer distances.

China: Huawei and Telecommunications Operators

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Chinese technology companies and telecommunications operators are also investing in optical switching.

Huawei

Huawei has explored OCS for large-scale AI computing infrastructure, including optical interconnection between accelerator cabinets.

Its Ascend accelerator ecosystem places increasing emphasis on high-bandwidth interconnects and large-scale supernode architectures.

OCS provides another option for connecting compute resources while reducing dependence on conventional electrical switching at selected network layers.

China Telecom

China Telecom has conducted experiments involving coordinated optical and electrical switching in data center networks.

Reported experimental results include:

• A 14% reduction in GPU point-to-point latency.
• A 19% reduction in data center network power consumption.
• A 17% improvement in reliability.

These figures relate to the reported experimental configuration and should not be treated as universal OCS performance guarantees.

China Mobile

China Mobile has also included OCS in its intelligent computing network planning.

Its interest reflects the growing need to connect distributed AI computing resources efficiently across data centers and metropolitan networks.

OCS Market Growth

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Market interest in OCS is closely tied to the expansion of AI infrastructure.

According to estimates attributed to Cignal AI, the global OCS market was expected to reach approximately $400 million in 2025.

The same estimates projected that the market could exceed $2.5 billion by 2029, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 58%.

These are market forecasts, not confirmed future revenue figures.

The underlying demand drivers are relatively clear:

• Increasing GPU cluster sizes.
• Higher east-west network traffic.
• Rising switching power consumption.
• Greater demand for configurable optical topologies.
• Expansion of hyperscale AI data centers.
• Growing investment in high-speed optical components.

The market opportunity extends beyond OCS hardware itself. Optical transceivers, fiber components, MEMS devices, control systems, and network management software all form part of the surrounding ecosystem.

For broader context on optical interconnect technologies and their relationship to AI infrastructure, see Optical-First Data Centers: CPO vs NPO vs XPO in 2026.

🔧 OCS vs Electrical Switching: Understanding the Trade-Off

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OCS and electrical switching are often discussed as competing technologies.

That framing is incomplete.

They solve different networking problems.

Electrical switches excel at packet-level forwarding, buffering, congestion management, and fine-grained traffic scheduling.

OCS excels at establishing high-bandwidth optical connections with low forwarding overhead and relatively low power consumption.

A practical comparison looks like this:

The most practical architecture is often a hybrid network.

Electrical switches handle traffic requiring flexible packet-level processing. OCS handles large, predictable communication flows that benefit from direct optical connectivity.

This division avoids forcing either technology to perform tasks for which it was not designed.

Why OCS Will Not Replace Electrical Switching Overnight

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There are several reasons why electrical switching will remain relevant.

First, modern data centers carry a wide range of traffic types. Not every application produces stable, predictable communication patterns.

Second, packet switching provides mature congestion management, buffering, multicast, and traffic engineering capabilities.

Third, OCS introduces its own operational requirements. Optical topology configuration, failure recovery, optical power management, and controller integration all need to work reliably at production scale.

Finally, optical switching is not free from physical constraints. Insertion loss, port density, optical alignment, fiber routing, and switching speed still matter.

The transition will therefore be gradual.

OCS will likely expand in network layers where its circuit-based model provides measurable advantages, while electrical switching continues to handle packet-oriented workloads.

The engineering challenge is not choosing between electricity and optics. It is deciding where each switching model belongs in the network.

🔭 The Technical Direction of OCS

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As AI clusters continue to grow, OCS development will focus on several areas.

Higher Port Counts

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Larger optical switching matrices can connect more accelerator groups and network endpoints.

Increasing port density helps reduce the number of switching devices required to build large optical fabrics.

Lower Insertion Loss

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Every optical component introduces some degree of signal loss.

Reducing insertion loss improves the optical power budget and can simplify system design, particularly in larger switching fabrics with multiple optical components.

Faster Switching

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MEMS-based systems are well suited to relatively stable circuits, but faster switching would expand the range of workloads that OCS can support.

Silicon photonics and other integrated optical technologies may help address this requirement.

Better Control and Automation

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Production OCS networks require more than optical hardware.

They need software capable of coordinating:

• Optical topology configuration.
• Workload communication requirements.
• Circuit allocation.
• Network telemetry.
• Failure detection.
• Automatic path recovery.
• Resource optimization.

The integration between SDN controllers and AI workload schedulers will play a major role in determining how efficiently OCS resources are used.

Hybrid Optical-Electrical Architectures

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The most realistic direction is closer integration between optical and electrical switching rather than the immediate elimination of electrical networks.

As AI data centers scale, different layers will use different technologies according to bandwidth requirements, traffic characteristics, latency targets, and operational constraints.

OCS provides a way to move high-volume, predictable traffic away from conventional electrical switching paths while retaining packet switching where it remains necessary.

That architectural separation is what makes optical circuit switching valuable.