US-based fiber optic services provider Finisar has introduced Quadwire, a 40Gbps optical link for data centers and high-performance computer clusters.
According to the company, Quadwire is a parallel active optical cable that provides a 40Gbps aggregate link via four 10Gbps full-duplex channels. Based on the industry-standard QSFP form factor, this new cable utilizes fiber optic technology to transmit parallel high-speed data over ribbon multi-mode fiber.
Finisar claims that as InfiniBand clusters move from double data rates (DDR) to quad data rates (QDR), copper cables give physical challenges to the system architecture. In addition to being heavy and bulky, these cables are limited to short distances as data deteriorates over longer links. Quadwire features a parallel 4×10 Gbps optical bi-directional link, meeting the needs for data rates.
In addition, Quadwire uses Finisar’s VCSEL (vertical cavity surface emitting laser) array technology. The cable’s small diameter supports large port count architectures, thus enabling smaller installations and fiber management.
Jan Meise, director of strategic marketing at Finisar, said: “Active optical cables are becoming the interconnects of choice for high-speed datacenter connectivity. The introduction of Quadwire marks Finisar’s entry into parallel connectivity, supporting leading edge cluster technology with an alternative to copper cables.”
Headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, USA, Finisar Corporation is a global technology provider for fiber optic subsystems and network test systems that enable high-speed voice, video and data communications for networking, storage, wireless, and cable TV applications.
