W. L. Gore & Associates (Gore) and Quellan Incorporated today demonstrated a broad range of new GORE Extended Reach Cable Assemblies. The new “active” cables deliver extended reach over thinner, lighter copper cabling for High-Performance Computing (HPC), Enterprise Server and Storage applications. The cables are designed to address numerous next generation protocols such as InfiniBand, 10GbE and 8G Fibre Channel. The family of new products is constructed with advanced GORE EYE-OPENER+ Conductor Technology, which provides distributed equalization to minimize signal degradation, and integrates Quellan Q:ACTIVE silicon technology that reduces jitter, crosstalk and other signal impairments. When using this cabling technology, a system can carry up to 480 Gbps of bandwidth to and from a single 1RU rack at distances of up to 15 meters. GORE Extended Reach Cable Assemblies eliminate the need for power hungry and expensive optical interconnects while improving data center reliability. For supercomputer applications, the companies showcased the industry’s first active 12x DDR InfiniBand cable, carrying 60 Gbps over 10 meters in a single link and measuring just 8 mm in diameter. For high density data center switching, the companies demonstrated the industry’s first active QSFP cable handling 35 Gbps of data over 15 meters. For high density blade servers and stackables, the companies demonstrated the industry’s first active SFP+ cable reaching 10 meters. "We're excited by the introduction of this low power active technology as a promising low risk means to extend the usable length of our current cluster interconnects,” commented Ed Turkel, manager of product marketing, high-performance computing, HP. “Cable reach and bundle size are two critical hurdles to overcome as HPC systems move to higher data rates,” said Frank Berry, vice president of corporate marketing for QLogic. “The combination of GORE EYE-OPENER+ Conductor Technology and Quellan Q:ACTIVE equalization is an important advance for addressing the electrical and mechanical performance challenges of the next generation of HPC systems." “These products will be important elements in next generation data centers and compliment the existing GORE™ Extended Reach DDR InfiniBand Cable Assemblies currently being installed in HPC systems worldwide. This new portfolio of products promises to liberate system architects by expanding boundaries for optimal system layouts,” stated Eric Gaver, global business leader for Gore’s high data rate cabling products. “The combined effects of Gore and Quellan technologies deliver the best value in cable interconnect bandwidth, distance, density and power while minimizing risk.” "Data Center cable management and power consumption are becoming increasingly critical,” said Tony Stelliga, Quellan’s Chairman and CEO. "By removing cable impairments and attenuation with active low power analog silicon, thinner, lighter and longer cabling can be used. This reduces weight, increases room for airflow and saves power by avoiding the need for optics. We are delighted to be working with Gore and to showcase this capability in their cabling products.”