Nov 28 2013
Applied Optoelectronics, Inc., a leading provider of fiber-optic access network products for the cable broadband, internet data center, and fiber-to-the-home markets today announces a new line of long-reach 40 Gigabit per second (Gbps) fiber optic transceivers using the QSFP+ form factor.
The new long-reach transceivers are designed primarily for applications in large datacenters and complement the previously-announced short reach QSFP+ transceivers. Together, AOI's products now cover all the distances that are commonly needed by datacenter operators. As 40 Gbps technology begins to augment 10 Gbps within the datacenter, having a complete product line at both datarates allows AOI to offer the comprehensive solutions needed by today's datacenter operators.
"We believe that our new QSFP+ SR4 and LR4 transceivers will allow our datacenter customers to seamlessly integrate 40 Gbps in both intra-rack and rack-to-spine applications, and represent a significant addition to our well-proven 10 Gbps SFP+ designs," said Claire Szuma, Sales Manager of the Network Equipment and Modules BU at AOI-TW. "AOI has based its 40 Gbps data center transceiver line on the QSFP+ form factor, rather than CFP, due to its smaller size and lower power consumption. This form factor is favored by many datacenter operators as it allows increased port density on the switch and reduces overall datacenter power consumption."
The new 40 Gbps QSFP+ transceivers feature insertion/removal latches that are designed to be used easily in high-density switch and server port configurations, which are increasingly common in datacenters.
The LR-4 configuration features 4 lanes each operating at 10.3 Gbps, for a total datarate of 41.25 Gbps. The lanes operate on separate optical wavelengths and are optically combined within the QSFP+ transceiver to enable transmission over up to 10 km of single-mode optical fiber.
The new transceivers utilize AOI's in-house manufactured DFB lasers and build upon a silicon-photonics technology platform developed by AOI's engineering team. By combining these two technological capabilities, AOI can deliver cost-effective 40 Gbps solutions with industry-leading short delivery schedules.
These transceivers are compliant with QSFP+ MSA SFF-6436 and compliant with IEEE 802.3ba-2010.