A backplane device may include an electrical bus, an optical fabric, and a plurality of card sockets. A particular one of the plurality of card sockets may include a first socket configured to receive a first electrical connector of a card and electrically connect the first electrical connector to the electrical bus; and a conversion device comprising a second socket configured to receive a second electrical connector of the card; and an optical transceiver configured to convert electrical signals received from the second electrical connector to optical signals and provide the optical signals to the optical fabric; and convert optical signals received from the optical fabric to electrical signals and provide the electrical signals to the second electrical connector.