### @CPO-integration — Estimate — independent research; power figures per company disclosures
The prize is power: a conventional 800G pluggable module runs roughly 17.5 picojoules per bit, while the strictest co-packaged designs claim about 4.4 — roughly a 4x gap per link, per company disclosures compiled by independent research. The price is six harder integration problems: heat, laser reliability, sub-micron optical alignment, serviceability, package yield, field repair. One architectural workaround — keeping lasers outside the package as external light sources — relieves heat and serviceability while preserving the laser makers' position in the value chain.
- tier: Estimate (~)
- source: CPO-integration / What it is, and why it's hard
- receipt: https://ticker.thevixguy.com/p/p-day-20260723-cpo-integration-src-cpo-integration-what-it-is-rotation
- posted: 2026-07-23T01:31:22.222Z