Molex ramps 400G ZR/ZR+ QSFP-DD production, collaborates with Marvell

March 2, 2022
The two optical module families conform to OIF 400ZR and Open ZR+ specifications, respectively, to address data center interconnect (DCI) requirements. Molex collaborated with Marvell on the development of the Open ZR+ QSFP-DD.

Molex says that it has begun ramping production of its 400G ZR QSFP-DD pluggable coherent optical transceivers. The two optical module families conform to OIF 400ZR and Open ZR+ specifications, respectively, to address data center interconnect (DCI) requirements. Molex collaborated with Marvell on the development of the Open ZR+ QSFP-DD.

The new 400ZR optical module is commercially available now, while the 400G ZR+ module will become available in the second quarter of this year. The latter is based on Marvell’s Deneb Coherent DSP (CDSP), which earned a 4.5 score in the 2022 Lightwave Innovation Reviews. The 400ZR will support reaches of 120 km; Molex says it recently verified 400-Gbps transmission using the module over DCI ZR distances in a 75-GHz-spaced DWDM link with amplification in an open line system (OLS). The Open ZR+ module will support reaches up to 600 km.

"Molex is meeting the need for faster transmission speeds both between and inside next-gen data centers," said Joseph Chon, director, Coherent Technology and Product Line Management, Molex Optoelectronics. "By ramping commercialization and production of the 400G ZR product line, we can enable mega-cloud data center operators to better address a vast range of high-density, bandwidth-intensive applications."

"Marvell's CDSP is enabling disruptive solutions that address the accelerating bandwidth network requirements of carrier and cloud operators," added Samuel Liu, senior director, product line management, Marvell. "Our collaboration with Molex is an important milestone and proof point in how we are building a large open ecosystem to help accelerate the adoption of IPoDWDM."

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About the Author

Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave

Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.

Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.

He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.

You can connect with Stephen on LinkedIn as well as Twitter.

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