JUNE 23, 2009 -- Finisar Corp. (search Lightwave for Finisar) has introduced C.wire, a 150-Gbps active optical cable (AOC) for storage, data center, and high-performance computing connectivity. Based on the CXP form factor, the C.wire AOC transmits parallel high-speed data in 100+ Gbps applications such as InfiniBand, 100G Ethernet, and proprietary high-speed interconnections.
With the increase in I/O bandwidth required by next generation CPUs, protocols such as InfiniBand and Ethernet need very high speed connectivity for next-generation data center architectures. Aggregation switches, stacked switches, and meshed network topologies need to deploy cabling that overcomes the bandwidth and distance limitations found in copper interconnect, Finisar asserts.
The company says that C.wire provides the smallest footprint of any cable available today for applications requiring data throughput of 100 Gbps and beyond. The CXP-base AOC it transmits parallel 12x12.5-Gbps data bi-directionally over a multimode fiber ribbon cable. It provides superior low-power, small bend radius, and high-density (Gbps per mm³) versus copper in data centers and HPC clusters.
"Finisar's C.wire will drive data center connectivity to new levels," said Alan Benner, senior technical staff member at IBM Corp. and chair of the ElectroMechanical Working Group for the InfiniBand Trade Association. "With InfiniBand QDR-40 Gbps server connectivity available today and 120 Gbps coming soon, we need solutions like Finisar's active optical cables to drive higher-density switches at lower power."
"With C.wire you can now get connections above 100 Gbps anywhere in the data center without worrying about whether you need copper or optics," said Karen Liu, vice president, Ovum RHK. "Aside from operation simplicity, Finisar's innovation addresses these increasingly urgent issues as data centers grow in both size and speed: power consumption, density, and reach."
"As evidenced in recent analyst reports by IGI and Lightcounting, active optical cables are quickly becoming the next-generation interconnects of choice for high-speed datacenter and HPC connectivity," said Jan Meise, director of strategic marketing at Finisar. "C.wire represents the third member of Finisar's cable family and is a clear demonstration of our commitment to providing breakthrough cable technology that will ensure 100G computing connectivity as early as 2010."
C.wire's product offerings include a 12x12.5Gbps cable for proprietary interconnects and a 12x10Gbps cable for InfiniBand 12xQDR and 100GbE applications.
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