Spectra7 Microsystems, a provider of high-performance analog semiconductors for broadband connectivity applications, and high-performance interconnect specialist Molex are jointly showcasing Molex's 400G Active Copper Cables (ACCs) at this year’s SuperComputing 2019 (SC19) show in Denver, CO (Nov. 18-21).
Molex recently began shipping its Passive Copper QSFP-DD (Quad Small Form Factor–Double Density) cable assemblies in volume production -- "and the same customers are asking for Active Copper versions for longer lengths up to 7-10 meters," said a company representative. The new Molex cables employ Spectra7’s GaugeChanger technology, which the company says offers up to 12x less power and significant cost savings over optical solutions for hyperscale data center customers.
"Spectra7 has created a compelling solution to address the dramatically increasing power and cost of data center interconnects," commented Greg Walz, Advanced Technical Marketing Manager, Molex. “We are seeing significant interest from our largest customers for 400G ACCs with Spectra7 technology and are pleased to be showcasing this product at SC19.”
Spectra7's GaugeChanger is billed as "an innovative and disruptive technology" that allows copper to extend much longer lengths without incurring the cost and power penalty of optics. The technology works equally well for 25 Gbps NRZ and 50 Gbps PAM-4 protocols, enabling new connector standards of 100, 200 and 400 Gbps.
"Molex is a technology and market leader in the hyperscale interconnect market," said Spectra7 CEO Raouf Halim. "The adoption of our 400G GaugeChanger technology by Molex is a significant milestone in the coming volume deployment of GaugeChanger, our data center product line."
Molex will be showing QSFP-DD Active Cable products with Spectra7’s GaugeChanger technology at Booth #1707 at SC19, billed as the world’s largest marketplace for HPC and networking professionals. For more information, visit http://sc19.supercomputing.org/.