Gore adds low-profile 40-GbE QSFP copper assembly

July 13, 2009--W.L. Gore & Associates' very low-profile QSFP direct attach copper cable assembly is "fiber-like" in size for QDR InfiniBand and 40-GbE aggregate applications. This cable was provided to major switch vendors and computing OEMs for testing over the last 6 to 8 months and was tested for compliance and interoperability this spring.

With a diameter of 0.170" for a 4x channel, 8-pair cable, Gore says the cross-section savings is 37% compared to its other cables and 58% compared to typical industry offerings. This low-profile cable is targeted at high-performance computing applications, where a large percentage of high-density port-count interconnects are 2 meters or less (e.g., in top-of-the-rack switching installations).

The reduced bend radius and smaller diameter allow for more aggressive routing as well as cleaner dressing of the cables in high-performance computing (HPC) environments. It is also less prone to interfere with the closing of cabinet doors in dense environments.

A proprietary low-loss expanded PTFE features an extremely low dielectric constant (1.3), allowing for smaller diameter cables with the same 10-Gbits/sec electrical performance of larger outside diameter cables.

On the Web: www.gore.com