Deep|Optics: The Scale-Across TAM Is Taking Shape

Scale-across moved into design wins, order books, and TAM guidance this earnings season. We review what Arista, Cisco, Ciena, Nokia, MACOM, VIAVI, and Keysight said and what it means for high-end optics.

“Expanding inferencing and training applications are driving full-rate connectivity between data centers, while political and regulatory constraints favor smaller, more modular builds. These 2 factors, among others, are substantially increasing the demand for our pump laser solutions.” –LITE, FY26Q4 earnings call, August 11, 2026.

Scale-Across Moved Into Design Wins and Order Books

A year ago, scale-across described an architecture concept. AI clusters that can no longer grow inside one building must link data centers across campuses and metros, because power, land, and compute are constrained at every individual site. On the latest round of earnings calls, the same term appeared attached to design wins, order intake, and TAM commentary.

Exhibit 1: The three connectivity domains of an AI cluster. Source: FUNDA.

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