On March 31 CommScope introduced Propel, a high-speed fiber platform based on 16-fiber cabling that is designed to help data center managers migrate to speeds as high as a terabit per second, so they can “respond to the exponential increase in demand they are experiencing for computing power,” the company said. “This new technology facilitates the migration to terabit speeds by providing reliable connectivity and a robust network infrastructure that aligns with rapidly emerging data center applications, enabling faster, more-efficient access to data.”
CommScope cited the widespread move to cloud computing, streaming services, and artificial intelligence (AI) as primary drivers of soaring demand for data center compute capabilities. “The industry continues to respond to an increase in economic life online by building new data centers and investing in ways to dramatically increase data center capacity,” the company added.
“Over the past few years, we have witnessed extraordinary technical advances and a rise in computing devices that connect to the real world,” said John Schmidt, senior vice president of CommScope’s building and data center business. “Data centers are key assets in the data-driven economy and it’s critical that the industry pay attention to energy usage and space requirements as we move toward terabit speeds. CommScope’s Propel solution was engineered to ensure data center operators can maximize existing infrastructure investments while preparing for future applications in a smart and more-efficient manner.”
The Propel platform introduces 16-fiber cabling to support 400- and 800-Gbit/sec speeds, as well as emerging 1.6-Tbit transmission. This 16-fiber-based setup “enables leading-edge network architectures to deliver greater capacity to end devices with increased efficiency, saving time and energy while also greatly reducing the cost per gigabit,” according to CommScope.
Modules are available in four interchangeable sizes with matching cable constructions to easily scale applications with system architectures. All components are ultra-low loss for optimal performance, and each has a specific QR code for performance tracking and online instructions.
Staking its claim as the first 16-fiber MPO platform, Propel comes with CommScope’s Systimax Application Assurance Warranty, and includes the following components.
- Panels in 1U, 2U, and 4U heights
- Adapter packs in LC, SN, and MPO interfaces
- Modules of 8, 12, 16, and 24 singlemode or multimode fibers
- Cable assemblies available with SN and LC Uniboot interfaces, as well as 8-, 12-, 16, and 24-fiber MPO interfaces
CommScope offers this video introduction to the Propel platform on its website.