24. November 2022

3 Min read

    Contents

      Written by Beat Koch

      Product Manager Platforms

      Modules already available

      800G technology is actually market-ready. In two years, it will rule the spine-leaf networks. What does this mean for data centers?

      Let’s first take a look at the ongoing process.

      Several specifications are still in the works. But optical transceiver modules of the two determining form factors QSFP-DD800 and OSFP are already being mass-produced. The multi-source agreement group 800G Pluggable has specified modules for 8x100G and 4x200G.

      • The 8x100G module will have an interface for eight parallel multimode fibers for transmission links up to 100 meters.
      • The 4x200G module is designed to work with Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM). It is to transfer 200 Gbit/s signals over four wavelengths via singlemode fiber for two kilometers.

      The responsible IEEE group (IEEE 802.3df) is working on standards for:

      • 8x100G via multimode fiber for links up to 100 meters
      • 8x100G parallel via singlemode fiber for links up to 500 meters
      • 8x100G with WDM via singlemode fiber for up to ten kilometers

      Other consortia are working on 800G specifications. The MSA Group OSFP-XD has presented a solution with 16 channels per module that will now pave the way to 1.6 Terabit Ethernet.

       

      Now the 800 Gigabit generation of fiber optic data transmission is coming to the data centers. Source: 650 Group Market Intelligence, 2021.

       

      Consequences for cabling

      Migration to 800G is only possible with the appropriate cabling. Where four fibers have been sufficient so far, eight or 16 fibers will soon be needed – depending on the configuration.

      Do you have enough space in the racks and cable guides? Are the infrastructures in your computer room ready to accommodate additional cabling? Ultra-High Density platforms such as R&M’s Netscale family allow data centers to acquire additional resources at an early stage.

      Connectivity itself will also continue to increase in density:

      • The transceiver connection is made with MPO 16
      • With the new miniature connectors CS, SN, and MDC, the number of fibers per port can be further increased, i.e. up to 6 single fiber connections can be realized per port

      R&M is on hand to help providers of integrated data center infrastructure solutions with the generation change to 800 Gigabit Ethernet. We look forward to discussing the optimal cabling and infrastructure for 800G.