11 January 2011

Luxtera sells active optical cable business to Molex

High-speed fiber-optic interconnect firm Molex Inc of Lisle, IL, USA has acquired the active optical cable (AOC) business of fabless CMOS silicon photonics firm Luxtera of Carlsbad, CA, USA.

Luxtera will transfer all aspects of its existing and future AOC business to Molex, including current QSFP+ (quad small-form-factor pluggable) 40Gbps Ethernet and InfiniBand products and customers, adding QSFP AOCs to Molex’s existing portfolio of active optical connectivity products.

Founded in 2001 by researchers and technology managers drawn from the communications and semiconductor industries and funded by venture capitalists including August Capital, New Enterprise Associates, Sevin Rosen Funds and Lux Capital, Luxtera claims to be the first firm to overcome the complex technical obstacles involved with integrating high-performance optics directly with silicon electronics on a mainstream CMOS chip, bringing direct ‘fiber to the chip’ connectivity to market.

Established in 1938, Molex operates 39 manufacturing locations in 16 countries, and delivers complete interconnect solutions for markets including datacoms, telecoms, consumer electronics, industrial, automotive, medical, military, lighting and solar.

The strategic acquisition will help Molex boost its share of the global fiber-optic assemblies market, reckons Doug Busch, VP & general manager of Molex’s Global Fiber Optic Products Group.

The deal includes an exclusive agreement for Luxtera to develop and supply chip-sets for future Molex products based on silicon photonics technology, including next-generation 14Gbps and four-channel 25Gbps products for the 100Gbps Ethernet and InfiniBand markets. The firms will work together on future product planning to provide interconnect solutions at data rates of 10Gbps, 14Gbps, 25Gbps and above.

“The combination of our interconnect expertise with Luxtera’s long-reach, low-power and low bit-error-rate optical solutions will enable us to offer the highest level of photonics integration and performance available,” claims Busch.

The partnership aligns with the strategic direction and long-term goals of both companies, comments Luxtera’s CEO Greg Young. “This agreement is a milestone validating the growing commercial significance of silicon photonics,” he adds. “Luxtera will continue to accelerate its growth by focusing on our core silicon photonics technology platform, while at the same time expanding the reach of our technology to global markets and customers. Partnering with Molex will help us to bring the benefits of silicon photonics to customers worldwide.”

Tags: Luxtera Molex

Visit: www.molex.com

Visit: www.luxtera.com