Astera Labs puts a date on the card: phased coexistence, copper and optical together, scale-up optics targeted 2028 via its photonics acquisition. Broadcom keeps its co-packaged switch unnamed while advocating copper and deferring the optical timeline. Cisco concedes "we have the technology to build it" but "not imminent." Every contestant still runs through TSMC for leading-edge logic and advanced packaging. The arena owner gets paid every round.