Celebrating the release of IEEE 802.3cz-2023 standard

KDPOF has welcomed the publication of the IEEE 802.3cz-2023 standard 'IEEE Standard for Ethernet Amendment 7: Physical Layer Specifications and Management Parameters for multi-gigabit glass optical fibre automotive Ethernet' with the final release by the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE SA). This amendment to IEEE Std 802.3-2022 adds Physical Layer specifications and management parameters for 2.5Gb/s, 5Gb/s, 10Gb/s, 25Gb/s, and 50Gb/s operation on glass optical fibre in an automotive environment.

"We're very excited about this major milestone for optical, automotive multi-gigabit Ethernet," stated Rubén Pérez de Aranda, KDPOF CTO and co-founder, as well as IEEE Senior Member and active participant in the IEEE 802.3 working group. "The 802.3 Task Force includes numerous individuals affiliated with key carmakers, such as PSA, Toyota, BMW, Ford, GM, and Volvo; Tier 1 suppliers; and components suppliers. Many thanks to all contributors and supporters for making optical in-vehicle Ethernet networks of up to 50 Gb/s a reality!"

The IEEE 802.3cz-2023 (nGBASE-AU) standard has been designed from scratch to meet stringent automotive requirements. The use of glass optical fibre improves power consumption. In addition, it is more resilient to ageing problems. It is future-proof since ECUs can be upgraded to higher speeds while keeping the same harness.

"As of today, the IEEE 802.3cz standard technology provides the only existing solution for 25Gb/s and 50Gb/s single lane connections with four inline connectors and a maximum length of 40 meters in the car over OM3 multimode fibre," added Luis Manuel Torres, principal system architect at KDPOF and active member at IEEE Standards Association.

The standard specifies speeds of 2.5, 5, 10, 25, and 50Gb/s per lane. It meets automotive temperature requirements of -40C to +105C and OEM reliability requirements with a minimum of 15 years of operation with 10 FIT. The maximum link length is 40m with four inline connectors. The solution is affordable since the higher optical power budget allows lower tolerance connectors. Additionally, the OM3 fibre is widely used, ensuring high-volume production. An almost ideal communication channel enables a simpler physical layer with a lower DSP/equalization complexity and no echo cancellation, resulting in lower power consumption, lower latency, a smaller silicon area, and an overall lower-cost solution. A dedicated Operations, Administration, and Maintenance (OAM) side channel is available for dependability and link management.

Automobile necessities demand this movement from copper to optical physical data transmission for higher speeds. Optical Ethernet connectivity perfectly solves vehicles' challenges and electrical interference thanks to its unbeatable electromagnetic compatibility, reliability, and low cost.