Xiang Zhou

Dr. Xiang Zhou is a System and DSP Tech Lead in Google's Data Center Optics group, a position he's held since 2013. In this role, He spearheads the development of critical optical technologies and solutions for multiple generations of data center and machine learning (ML) interconnection networks, ranging from the industry’s first 400G OSFP optical transceivers to the upcoming 1.6T OSFP technologies. His extensive contributions cover both component and system-level innovation. He enabled PAM4-based BiDi optics by inventing advanced in-band optical interference mitigation technology and introducing uncooled EML with High ER. Furthermore, he was a key architect and inventor of Google's reconfigurable supercomputer network architecture—powered by the innovative use of optical circuit switches— and pioneered the original concept and standard development of the industry's first pluggable coherent optic (400G ZR). Before joining Google in 2013, Dr. Zhou spent over a decade (2001 to 2013) at AT&T Labs-Research. There, he focused on various aspects of long-haul optical transmission and networking technologies, publishing extensively, including research that yielded multiple record-breaking results. Dr. Zhou holds more than 60 US patents with a dozen more pending. Dr. Zhou is an Optica Fellow and has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Lightwave Technology and Optics Express.