Eight industry leaders join forces to boost pluggable transceiver speeds to 800 Gbps

SINGAPORE – October 9, 2019 – Several industry leaders have announced the formation of a new QSFP-DD800 Multi-Source Agreement (MSA) organization to advance the high-speed dual-density quarter small form factor pluggable (QSFP-DD800) module development to provide support for 800 Gbps connections. The MSA organization will implement a very high bandwidth interface, thereby addressing the problem of increasing global bandwidth consumption.

Founding members and promoters of MSA include Broadcom, Cisco, Finisar, Intel, Juniper Networks, Marvell, Molex and Shentai.

The new QSFP-DD800 interface expands on the QSFP-DD, a pluggable form factor with an eight-lane electrical interface widely adopted by the latest Ethernet switches. The MSA will implement the QSFP-DD800’s eight electrical lanes by providing technical solutions for 800 Gbps modules and connector systems, enabling each lane to operate at 100 gigabits per second (Gbps). Modules, connectors, stackable connectors, and hybrid connectors as a variant of the BiPass/Flyover product will also be defined, eliminating the loss of signal problems present on traditional printed circuit boards. The main goal of MSA Group is to define the relevant specifications and promote industry adoption of the QSFP-DD800. The new QSFP-DD800 specification was developed to provide backward compatibility with QSFP-DD, QSFP28, and QSFP+ modules and cables to support the industry’s upcoming needs for 25.6 Tb/s scale systems that can support 100 GbE or 400 GbE high-density interface.

Scott Sommers, Founding Member and MSA Co-Chairman, said, “Through our ongoing strategic collaboration with our MSA Founding Members, we are developing physical specifications that will provide a robust solution for optical transceiver modules, connectors, cages and DAC cables from multiple suppliers. Achieving interoperability ensures a robust ecosystem. We are delighted to work together as a group to further develop and deliver next-generation designs that continue to evolve with the ever-changing technology environment.”

Mark Nowell, MSA Founding Member and Co-Chair, said: “By taking advantage of the technological innovations from QSFP-DD, now is the time to collaborate with our MSA partners to lay a solid foundation for the next generation of systems and modules. The next step in the development of pluggable modules in terms of performance and density, the form factor of QSFP-DD will continue to be a cornerstone. At the same time, on the basis of previous generations of products, it will further extend investment in the industry, broaden experience, and expand cost structure and improve backward compatibility.”

For more information on the QSFP-DD800 MSA, visit www.qsfp-dd800.com.