Molex Incorporated announced the iPass+ High-Speed Channel (HSC) pluggable CXP copper and optical interconnect system enabling twelve channels of 10 Gbps data, for up to 120 Gbps of total bandwidth. The iPass+™ CXP provides both copper and optical direct attach options for the same system port, thereby increasing the flexibility of system-level hardware for end users. This innovative dual paddle-card system was adopted as the InfiniBand* Architecture Specification Vol. 2 Release 1.2.1; Annex A6 in September 2009.

“Molex’s first-to-market iPass+ HSC CXP system results in one of the fastest and highest-density I/Os on the market today,” said Jay Neer, advanced technical market manager, industry standards, Molex Incorporated. “By leveraging Molex high-speed wafer technology with compliant pin tails, we were able to develop a higher density, 12-channel I/O connector system which meets the needs of the growing high performance and computer data center market.”

The unitary press-fit connector and cage assembly provides one-step placement to the host board and is offered in both single and stacked dual-port configurations. Molex CXP 12X direct attach copper cables are designed to accommodate single, ganged or stacked connector configurations in extremely high-density requirements. CXP passive copper cables are available in a variety of lengths.

Further, Molex is developing optical CXP solutions with AOC (active optical cables) pluggable optical module cable assemblies and loopbacks. Cabling options for CXP optical products include 24-fiber round OFNP rated jackets in 3.8 and 5.4mm diameters filling both shorter rack-to-rack and longer riser cabling requirements. The round cable construction offers superior fiber management over traditional flat cables for connecting CXP ports. CXP optical cable assemblies for pluggable transceiver applications utilize 24 fiber (12 transmit and 12 receive) high bandwidth OM3 cable using industry-standard MTP/MPO connectors. This design meets the InfiniBand bandwidth requirements for CXP modules for lengths up to 300m (984.25’). Products also include MTP/MPO-to-LC cable assemblies for connections to Small Form-factor Pluggable (SFP) or LC patch panels. MPO CXP Loopbacks feature a compact housing that loops optical TX to RX ports for testing, burn-in and field troubleshooting.

Molex’s iPass+ HSC CXP system is the latest addition to the existing iPass™ product family. The iPass Interconnect System offers connectors and cables that enable flexible-speed compatibility for applications ranging from 1 to 10 Gbps and is an ideal solution for the growing high-performance computing and data center markets. To learn more, stop by the Molex booth 712 at the Super Computing conference (SC09), November 14-20 in Portland, Ore. or visit http://www.molex.com/link/cxp.html.