Credo and FIT Deliver Robust 10m 100G Active Copper Cable Solutions

MILPITAS, CA–(Marketwired – May 22, 2017) – Credo Semiconductor, a global innovation leader in Serializer-Deserializer (SerDes) technology, and Foxconn Interconnect Technology, Inc. (“FIT”), a leading supplier of interconnect solutions, announced today that they will demonstrate robust and error-free 100G QSFP28 active copper cable (ACC) connectivity solutions with reach up to 10 meters (m) in a private suite at the Grand Hyatt during the Computex Show, May 30-June 3, in Taipei.

The new cables will enable server designers to transition to higher bandwidths using cost-effective copper solutions, rather than having to adopt costly optical alternatives. To that end, Centec, an established leader in Ethernet switching, intends to adopt ACC for its data center solutions, accelerating the transition to the technology in 100G intra-rack and inter-rack applications.

”The continuous demand to lower cost while increasing bandwidth in data centers requires on-going innovation of serial link technology,” said Jeff Twombly, vice president of business at Credo. “The combination of FIT’s latest QSFP28 ACC and Credo’s low power, low latency 100G retimer devices provides a low cost alternative to conventional active optical cables (AOCs) for intra and inter-rack connections.”

“Centec has been focusing on high-speed Ethernet switch silicon design for over 12 years,” said XiaoYang Zheng, vice president of engineering at Centec. “This newly released QSFP28 ACC is an exciting innovation to the fast growing 100GE connections, as it maintains the same high performance while lowering power consumption and cost. We’re glad to be one of the early adopters of this new technology. Combined with Centec’s Ethernet switching silicon, we believe this new ACC will bring great value to our customers for high-speed connections, such as in data centers.”

“Partnering with Centec is proof that a 100G ACC is a cost-effective alternative to AOC solutions for intermediate reaches from three to 10 meters,” said Yan Margulis, vice president of sales at FIT. “We expect this innovation to accelerate the transition to 100G in the data center-something that has been enabled by our close collaboration with Credo.”

To support the demand for ever-growing bandwidth, maintaining copper interconnects between servers and top-of-rack switches would save significant capital expenditure (CAPEX) spending in the transition from 10G to 25G single lane data rates. The joint development of 100G QSFP28 ACCs provides connectivity between standard QSFP ports. The QSFP28 ACC is capable of supporting four full-duplex lanes, with each lane transmitting data up to 25G per direction, providing an aggregate bandwidth of 100G. The ACC utilizes Credo’s state- of-the-art mixed-signal processing technology to provide cost-effective intermediate-reach data center interconnects, unachievable with passive copper cable (PCC). Leveraging Credo’s unique low power technology, the 100G ACC consumes significantly less power than that of competing AOCs.

About Credo Semiconductor

Credo is a leading provider of high performance, mixed-signal semiconductor solutions for the data center, enterprise networking and high performance computing markets. Credo’s advanced Serializer-Deserializer (SerDes) technology delivers the bandwidth scalability and end-to-end signal integrity for next generation platforms requiring single-lane 25G, 50G, and 100G connectivity. The company makes its SerDes available in the form of Intellectual Property (IP) licensing on the most advanced processing nodes and with complementary product families focused on extending reach and multiplexing to higher data rates. Credo is headquartered in Milpitas, California and has offices in Shanghai and Hong Kong.

About Foxconn Interconnect Technology, Limited (“FIT”)

Foxconn Interconnect Technology, Limited focuses on the development, manufacturing and marketing of electronic and optoelectronic connectors, antennas, acoustic components, cables and modules for applications in computers, communication equipment, consumer electronics, automobiles, industrial and green energy field products. With offices and manufacturing sites located in Asia, the Americas and Europe, FIT is a global leader in the manufacturing of high precision interconnect components.