Zarlink expands ZLynx active optical cable portfolio

Nov. 14, 2008
NOVEMBER 14, 2008 -- The new 20-Gbit/sec ZLynx active optical cables with QSFP-to-QSFP and QSFP-to-CX4 terminations will be showcased next week in at the SuperComputing08 show in Austin, TX.

NOVEMBER 14, 2008 -- Zarlink Semiconductor Inc. (search for Zarlink) today announced commercial availability of ZLynx dual data rate (DDR) active optical cables with integrated quad small form-factor (QSFP) and hybrid QSFP-to-CX4 terminations.

The expanded ZLynx portfolio will be on display at next week's SuperComputing08 (SC'08) show in Austin, TX (Zarlink booth#651 and SCinet network).

Accordig to Zarlink, it was the first vendor to volume-produce active optical cables, with ZLynx ZL60615 cables now deployed in a range of data centers and computer clusters. The company confirms that ZLynx-Q and ZLynx hybrid cables are currently at select lead customers. The cables support up to 100-meter reach to enable larger and scalable data centers, while their compact size further simplifies installation and maintenance, notes the company.

"Zarlink extended the ZLynx product line in response to data center, server, and switch demand for an easy-to-use, lighter optical cable solution with enhanced signal-integrity performance," explains Ram Rao, product line manager for Zarlink Semiconductor's parallel interconnect products. "ZLynx CX4 cables offered superior cable management with lower bit error rate than traditional copper cables. New ZLynx-Q and ZLynx hybrid cables offer the popular QSFP termination at 4 x 5 Gbits/sec, and they will extend to 4 x 10 Gbits/sec for InfiniBand QDR." 

Zarlink's hybrid CX4-to-QSFP cables are used to bridge CX4-based host channel adaptor (HCA) cards and new InfiniBand switches employing QSFP terminations. The QSFP interface is being rapidly adopted for high-performance computing and InfiniBand because of the QSFP's faceplate density (its recessed housing eases cable management), superior signal integrity, and electromagnetic interference shielding. All of these are critical as speeds migrate to 10 Gbits/sec.

Zarlink's ZL60620 ZLynx-Q and ZL60625 ZLynx hybrid active optical cables are now at select lead customers, in popular 30-meter lengths. Volume production in all cable lengths occurs in early 2009. ZLynx ZL60615 cables with CX4 connectors are in full production and available in three-meter to 100-meter lengths. 

At SC'08, Zarlink (booth #651) will demonstrate the interoperability of the ZLynx-Q and ZLynx hybrid cables between servers and InfiniBand and Ethernet switches from several vendors, including QLogic and Mellanox. ZLynx cables will also provide infrastructure links on the exhibition floor as part of the SCinet network.


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