Optical Cable Assemblies Reach Far With Little Power

As part of a highly integrated system, the Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable (QSFP+) Active Optical Cable (AOC) assemblies achieve 40-Gbit/s data rates over long reaches of up to 4 km (2.49 miles) using only 0.78 W per cable end. Because the assemblies reduce the overall power consumption of data centers, additional ports can be deployed, resulting in increased connectivity options and overall cost savings. Adding to the assemblies’ capabilities is the use of CMOS photonics technology, which integrates most of the transceiver functionality onto a single chip, providing a low-cost cable that delivers a long reach. With four bi-directional optical data links per end, each operating at data rates from 1.0 to 10.3125 Gbit/s, the Molex 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 40 Gbps); Fiber Channel (8 and 10 Gbps); and SAS (6 Gbps). MOLEX INC., Downers Grove, IL. (630) 512-8787