7 March 2011

Molex launches QSFP+ AOC assemblies for 40Gb/s over 4km at 0.78W per cable end

High-speed fiber-optic interconnect firm Molex Inc of Lisle, IL, USA has introduced its quad small-form-factor pluggable (QSFP+) active optical cable (AOC) assemblies, providing what is claimed to be the longest link distance and lowest power consumption on the market.

The assemblies — to be demonstrated in booth 1908 at the Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exhibition/National Fiber Optic Engineers Conference (OFC/NFOEC 2011) in Los Angeles (8–10 March) — achieve 40Gbps data rates over long reaches of up to 4km using only 0.78W per cable end. By improving overall data-center power consumption, additional ports can be deployed, resulting in increased connectivity options and overall cost savings.

“They address our customers’ high-density requirements while combining high data integrity with low power consumption,” says Tom Marrapode, director of marketing for Molex’s fiber-optic products group. “Additionally, the optical link budget of Molex’s QSFP+ AOC supports multiple optical connectors within the optical cable, providing a unique opportunity to support a structured cable system in the user’s facility,” he adds. “This unique feature adds significant flexibility to the use and installation of QSFP+ AOC in lengths greater than 100m.”

Adding to the high-performance capabilities is the use of complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) photonics technology, which integrates most of the transceiver functionality onto a single chip, providing a low-cost cable that delivers a reliable, long-reach solution, says the firm.

With four bi-directional optical data links per end (each operating at data rates of 1.0–10.3125Gbps), the QSFP+ AOC assemblies are compatible with multiple protocols including InfiniBand single data rates (SDR), dual data rates (DDR) and quad data rates (QDR), Ethernet systems (10 and 40Gbps); Fiber Channel (8 and 10Gbps) and SAS (6Gbps). In addition to QDR data-rate products, Molex plans to release next-generation InfiniBand FDR data-rate AOC products based on low-power-consumption silicon photonics 56Gbps optical engine technology in third-quarter 2011.

To further expand its active optic connectivity offering, in January Molex acquired the AOC business of fabless CMOS silicon photonics firm Luxtera of Carlsbad, CA, USA, which transferred all aspects of its existing and future AOC business to Molex (including its QSFP+ 40Gbps Ethernet and InfiniBand products and customers).

See related items:

Luxtera sells active optical cable business to Molex

Tags: Molex

Visit: www.molex.com

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