Molex QuatroScale 28Gb/s Silicon Photonics Active Optic Solutions

By News Release | April 07, 2014

Molex QuatroScale 28Gb/s Silicon Photonics Active Optic Solutions are modular, low-power, long-reach solutions that support 100, 200, and 400 Gb/s data center designs.

Molex QuatroScale 28Gb/s Silicon Photonics Active Optic SolutionsAs industry demand surges for long-reach, low-power solutions that support next-generation 28Gb/s products and data center applications, Molex Incorporated recently announced plans to unveil a line of QuatroScale active optic solutions designed for 100, 200, and 400Gb/s products.

“Market indications are that the average data center interconnect in the US is now more than 130 meters in length, operating with 25Gb/s MM VCSEL solutions which target a reach of only 100 meters,” said Brent Hatfield, product manager for active optics, Molex. “Data center architects and OEM providers are discovering that silicon-photonics-based optics bring significant advantages in terms of longer reach, with exceptionally low power consumption.”

The new QuatroScale solutions are designed based on silicon photonics CMOS technology, which achieves the longest reach and lowest bit error rate (BER), coupled with the highest reliability of any 28Gb/s product on the market. QuatroScale 100Gbps zQSFP+ Active Optical Cable (AOC) and on-board module solutions run at a low 1.5W per 100Gb/s, but can go up to 4km of distance. Low-power QuatroScale AOCs deliver an achievable 1e-18 BER — and more than three billion device hours accumulated without an in-module failure. The compact-form-factor QuatroScale zCD AOCs deliver 16 bi-directional channels operating at 28Gb/s, with data rates scalable up to 400Gb/s bandwidth.

Providing economical installed cost solutions, the QuatroScale portfolio is uniquely qualified to meet market demand for large and distributed HPC data centers. In summer 2014, Molex plans to offer samples of the following products based on its innovative silicon photonics optical platform:

  • 100Gb/s QSFP28 AOCs
  • 200Gb/s Mid-board Optical Modules (available in 200Gb/s or 2x 100Gb/s port products)
  • 400Gb/s CDFP MSA AOCs

“The added economic value of the upcoming modular QuatroScale solutions, combined with the lowest-cost single-mode structured cabling, translates into Molex providing customers with the most economical choice in silicon photonics solutions for next generation data centers,” added Hatfield.

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