II‐VI Inc. (NASDAQ: IIVI) has announced a new version of its pluggable optical line subsystem (POLS), this time in the QSFP form factor. The QSFP-LS offers eight-channel 400ZR/ZR+ transport for datacenter interconnect (DCI) applications.
The QSFP-LS is designed to be plugged directly into a switch or router QSFP port, transparent to the port speed. The module enables full-duplex multichannel 400ZR/ZR+ transport, including such functions as multiplexing, demultiplexing, and variable-gain amplification. The QSFP-LS will support up to eight DWDM wavelengths at 400 Gbps, which equates to 3.2 Tbps per fiber pair.
The introduction of the QSFP-LS follows that of the larger OSFP version that made its debut in March 2020 (see “II-VI offers 400ZR pluggable line system; Arista Networks first customer”).
“With the original OSFP-LS and now the QSFP-LS available, we have a greatly simplified transport solution that eliminates the need for dedicated rack-mounted line systems, which will significantly reduce the number of network elements to be installed, powered up, configured, and monitored,” commented Martin Hull, vice president of platform products at Arista Networks, which was the lead customer for the OSFP-LS. “POLS technology represents a paradigm shift in data center interconnects that is complementary to and on par with the advent of 400ZR/ZR+ pluggable transceivers, in terms of greater equipment density, lower power consumption, and pay-as-you-grow flexibility that now extends to QSFP ports.”
“In the last several years, we’ve led the industry in offering breakthrough solutions at scale of our miniature optical amplifier components, including our flagship 3-pin uncooled micropump. These components are now the building blocks that differentiate our POLS platform,” said Dr. Sanjai Parthasarathi, chief marketing officer at II-VI. “The QSFP-LS is one of our most advanced integrated products and the tiniest open line system on the market. It’s about one-fifth the size of similar amplifier module technology 10 years ago and consumes one-third the power, enabling it to remain within the maximum power-dissipation requirements for any QSFP socket. Compared to similar functionality in a dedicated rack-mounted line system, the QSFP-LS consumes about half the amount of power, is about a fifth of the cost, and occupies orders of magnitude less space.”
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