Molex zCD Interconnect Solves Next-Generation Data Transmission Requirements

“Addressing demand for high speed applications has become a shared priority within the industry as network bandwidth continues to surge,” states Joe Dambach, global new product development, Molex.  “The zCD interconnect delivers a winning form-factor that will help enable widespread adoption of 400 Gbps technology.”

Molex zCD connectors will be available in a short body version for passive or active copper cables and long body version for active optical cables (AOCs) or transceivers.  The zCD connectors feature a straight, back-route footprint with a 0.75mm pitch.  An elastomeric gasket provides EMI containment and suppression.  Designed to accept a broad range of thermal modules and heat sinks, the press-fit connector design ensures a robust and simple board termination.

Providing industry leading bandwidth density, zCD passive copper cable assemblies feature 32 pairs (16 channels) per I/O port at 25 Gbps.  A dual paddle-card system improves cross-talk performance through the cable interface.  An embedded microcontroller cable-management interface allows custom host-management capabilities through a standard I²C bus.  Designed for use with 30 AWG Twinax cable, the passive copper bundle (up to 32 pairs) improves bend radius and flexibility in short-reach 400 Gbps Ethernet or legacy and proprietary applications.

Based on singlemode silicon photonics technology, Molex AOC assemblies for the zCD connector deliver 16 bi-directional channels operating at up to 28 Gbps, or 400 Gbps of bandwidth, in a compact standard interface.  A hot-pluggable transceiver allows insertion and removal of devices without powering down the system.  Module I/O equalisation enables optimisation of performance for each host system.  Transmitting up to 4km for a fraction of the cost and power of long-reach optical modules, the zCD AOC assemblies are primarily designed for 400 Gbps Ethernet applications and will function with InfiniBand* and proprietary protocol applications.

“The zCD interconnect system offers a high level of integration, performance and long-term reliability for customers requiring 400 Gbps with individual lane data rates up to 25 Gbps,” adds Dambach.

Molex is among the founding members of the CDFP multi-source agreement (MSA) consortium, which is dedicated to defining specifications and promoting adoption of interoperable 400 Gbps hot pluggable modules.