EMCORE Connects

 
High-performance 20 Gbps optical cables
 
Fiber Optic Connects Cable

Enabling larger clusters and reduced installation and maintenance costs

 
EMCORE Connects Cables, with 20 Gbps data rates at distances up to 100 meters, deliver the performance you need to build large, reliable computer clusters. With their low weight and bulk these high-performance active optical cables can reduce installation and maintenance costs while improving airflow. Designed for InfiniBand* 4x SDR/DDR and 10 Gb Ethernet (GbE) installations, EMCORE Connects Cables are priced competitively with 24 AWG copper cables they are designed to replace.
 
 

Product information

 
 
   Review the EMCORE Connects Cables product brief (PDF 1.87MB)
   EMCORE Announces Sampling and Demo of 40 Gigabit per second Connects Cables for High-Performance Computing
   Oak Ridge National Labs Infiniband Based Cable Comparison (PDF 308KB)
 

Features and benefits

 
 
20 Gbps bidirectional per cable at distances up to 100 meters Each EMCORE Connects Cable has four 5 Gbps lanes in each direction for an aggregate throughput of 20 Gbps bidirectional at up to 100 meters. These 5Gbps lanes support InfiniBand* DDR data rates, and will also run at lower data rates to support SDR and those 10 GbE CX4 installations that have power available in the CX4 socket.
Low, 10-15 bit error rate for increased reliability Many copper cables are only specified for a bit error rate (BER) of 10-12, which is a thousand times less reliable than an EMCORE Connects Cable. BER can cause performance and reliability issues in high-performance clusters.
Low 550 picoseconds conversion latency EMCORE Connects Cables add very little latency to your application. The optical/electrical conversion at each end of the cable takes only 275 picoseconds for a total added conversion latency of only 550 picoseconds. The only additional latency in an EMCORE Connects Cable is the speed of light traveling over the cable.
84 percent less weight and 83 percent less volume than 24 AWG copper cables1 Ultra low weight EMCORE Connects Cables mean less stress on floors, racks, connectors, and pins that can lead to cluster failures. The small cross section of EMCORE Connects Cables can result in better airflow and fewer cluster cooling problems.
Smaller bend radius and connectors for easier installation The short connector length and the flexible bend radius of EMCORE Connects Cables is 40 percent less¹ than that of 24 AWG copper cables. These advantages make EMCORE Connects Cables easier to install and maintain without straining server connectors or neighboring cables. The shorter connectors also make it possible to close cabinet doors and achieve better airflow.
Low electro-magnetic interference and no risk of ground loops Unintended ground loops and electro-magnetic interference can cause hard-to-diagnose intermittent failures in systems built with copper cables. EMCORE Connects Cables have no copper wire so unintended ground loops are not possible.
 
1 Source: EMCORE internal testing, measurements, and calculations.