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Zarlink Semiconductor today announced its ZLynx products are the first active optical cable assemblies with integrated optical-electrical converters to be tested and accepted by the IBTA (InfiniBand Trade Association) as being compliant with the InfiniBand architecture specification. Zarlink’s ZLynx active optical cables are included in the recently issued IBTA Integrators’ List of commercially available products that meet InfiniBand compliance and interoperability requirements. Zarlink’s ZLynx products were independently tested and certified as compliant by Lamprey Networks and the University of New Hampshire’s Interoperability Lab. More information on the IBTA Integrators’ List is available at: its Web site. “Zarlink is the first supplier to deliver active optical cable products that have been independently tested and accepted as being compliant with the InfiniBand architecture specification,” said Dr. Marco Ghisoni, product manager, Zarlink Optical Communications. “Zarlink’s combination of ZLynx active optical cable assemblies and QSFP modules offer InfiniBand equipment manufacturers and data center managers an approved, easy-to-implement and compliant solution that supports higher bandwidth and longer link distances.” “Inclusion on the Integrators’ List is a crucial pre-requisite for many end users – including government entities and enterprise customers – in determining interoperability in the market place,” said Jim Pappas, director of Initiative Marketing in Intel’s Server Platforms Group and co-chair of the IBTA. “The Integrators’ List is one example of how the IBTA is reaching out to the larger InfiniBand community and continuing to drive advancements in the technology.” Zarlink’s ZLynx products integrate industry-standard electrical terminations and are capable of 20 Gbps transmission in both directions and 5 Gbps duplex, four-channel data transmission. As demonstrated at February’s Optical Fiber Communication conference, ZLynx optical cable assemblies are the industry’s first active optical cable products to support potential link distances up to 100 meters. ZLynx optical cable assemblies provide data center operators and installers with weight, interference and flexibility advantages versus traditional multi-strand copper cable assemblies. ZLynx products targeting InfiniBand DDR (Dual Data Rate) at 4x5 Gpbs per channel and 10 GbE XAUI at 3x3.125 Gbps are currently sampling. Pre-production parts are now available, with general availability in August. These are the first in a portfolio of parts that will support varied cable lengths and terminated with a number of high-speed electrical connectors. InfiniBand QSFP modules Zarlink is also sampling 4x2.5 Gbps and 4x5 Gbps InfiniBand QSFP (Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable) modules, supported by evaluation boards and a graphical user diagnostic interface. InfiniBand SDR (Single Data Rate) and DDR QSFP modules are now available as pre-production parts, with full production planned for Q4 CY2007. QSFP QDR (Quad Data Rate) modules will be available as sampling parts in Q4 CY2007. Zarlink’s QSFP modules meet performance requirements outlined in the IBTA’s Pluggable Interfaces annex. Issued in March 2007, Pluggable Interfaces was developed by the IBTA to provide a standard electro-mechanical method for attaching cabling to InfiniBand products. By combining four ultra-high capacity, independent fiber transmit and receive channels into one integrated module, Zarlink’s QSFP products provide InfiniBand equipment manufacturers with a compact, low power consumption pluggable solution, and a clear roadmap to QRD implementation. For more information Zarlink’s optical interconnect products, contact Marco Ghisoni (marco.ghisoni@zarlink.com). For more on Zarlink’s optical solutions visit its Web site.