NearStack high-speed cable assembly solutions expanded

Telecommunication and data centre companies continue to experience increasing bandwidth requirements and, therefore, need high-density interconnects. To meet these needs, Molex continues to develop innovative connectivity solutions. One such group of solutions is the NearStack High-Speed Cable Assembly Solutions.

High-speed, high-density applications are moving away from traditional board designs to allow for high-speed lower-cost alternatives. The NearStack solutions optimise signal integrity channel performance with direct linkage, bypassing board traces and use of lower loss materials. Additionally, the NearStack solutions offer the potential to lower costs by removing re-timers and other active components from high-speed channels and reducing the numbers of high-speed layers that would need to be routed through expensive PCB materials.

“As system requirements continue to expand, signal channels extend in length as well as become more challenging to accomplish - the solutions that exist in the standard PCB world can pose challenges to clear signal transmission and be cost prohibitive. To solve these challenges, Molex is excited to offer NearStack solutions,” said Liz Hardin, Group Product Manager. “With the addition of the NearStack 85 Ohm solution to the NearStack portfolio, we look forward to meeting additional next-generation system challenges.”

Suited for applications requiring 100Ω impedance, NearStack 100 Ω was designed as a small package, supports 56 Gbps PAM-4 and is compatible with the Molex BiPass I/O. The solution utilises 34 AWG twinax cable to create a high-speed jumper product in eight differential pair and 16 differential pair sizes.

In addition to the NearStack 100Ω solution, Molex is also introducing the NearStack 85Ω solution. Tuning the NearStack design to a normal impedance of 85Ω provides organisations with another high-speed solution to support applications requiring this impedance, such as PCIe based systems. The NearStack 85Ω solution uses 30 AWG twinax to enable longer reach. This NearStack connector is also compatible with Molex backplane cable assemblies.

Molex’s full suite of data centre solutions targets scalability, provides high-speed support, optimises signal integrity, offers EMI containment and thermal efficiencies.