Handling Multilayer Neural Network Nonlinear Equalizer Complexity and overfitting Challenges Using L1-Regularization for 112Gbps Optical Interconnects

We propose an L1-regularized multilayer neural network nonlinear equalizer (L1PML-NLE) for inter-data-center interconnects. Compared with conventional and sparse VNLE, the L1PML-NLE reduces 81% and 57.8% complexity with improved BER performance for 40-km 112-Gb/s PAM4 transmission.