UTStarcom Unveils OCS Platform for AI Data Centers at CIOE 2026

HANGZHOU, China, Sept. 21, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- UTStarcom, a global networking solutions provider, made its inaugural appearance at the 27th China International Optoelectronic Exposition (CIOE 2026), held from September 9 to 11 at the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center. The event, which serves as a global stage for leading optoelectronic and optical communications innovators, showcased UTStarcom’s extensive optical networking expertise and introduced concept prototypes of its next-generation Optical Circuit Switching (OCS) platform, specifically designed for AI data center (AI DC) networking infrastructure.

UTStarcom’s OCS solution aims to address the scaling constraints faced by traditional copper interconnects and electrical packet switches (EPS) in AI data centers. These constraints, including power, latency, and thermal issues, are increasingly problematic as AI clusters continue to scale. By introducing a dynamic, all-optical switching layer, UTStarcom’s OCS solution focuses on dismantling these barriers.

The company highlighted three key benefits of its integrated OCS solution: - Enhanced AI Cluster Performance: Operating alongside traditional EPS in hybrid AI data center architectures, OCS provides an automated, dynamically reconfigurable optical layer. This layer offloads high-volume AI traffic onto direct photonic paths, enabling dynamic topology changes, resource pooling, and optical-layer redundancy. As a result, it eliminates buffer-related queuing delays and reduces packet loss and latency during large-scale model training and inference. - Lower CAPEX and OPEX: UTStarcom’s OCS solution reduces the number of required optical transceivers, lowering power consumption, cooling requirements, and rack footprint. - Protocol- and Bit-Rate-Agnostic Scalability: The solution provides protocol- and bit-rate-transparent fiber channels that can accommodate future increases in optical line rates without the need to replace the physical switching fabric.

During the exposition, UTStarcom unveiled the concept prototypes of its OCS platform alongside its in-house software management ecosystem. The platform remains in active development and comprises the following elements: - UOS64 (Silicon Photonics Platform): A 64x64-radix OCS concept prototype based on Silicon Photonics (SiPho) technology. Engineered around chip-scale Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs), it is designed to provide fast optical switching, high-density integration, and scalable optical path automation. - MOS64 (MEMS Platform): A 64x64-radix OCS concept prototype built on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) micro-mirror core technology, designed to deliver low insertion loss, minimal channel crosstalk, and fast optical path switching. - OCS Platform Software & SOO Station OCS Management Platform: UTStarcom’s SONiC-based OCS platform software, paired with the Company’s SDN controller. Through open Southbound and Northbound Interfaces (SBI/NBI), the software layer allows upper-layer orchestrators to automate optical-path provisioning, implement topology-on-demand, and streamline optical fabric management.

UTStarcom, founded in 1991 and listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market since 2000 (symbol: UTSI), provides innovative, reliable, and cost-effective networking solutions worldwide. The company’s high-performance product portfolio spans high-growth networking domains, including AI data center network infrastructure, telecom mobile backhaul, metro aggregation, and broadband access.