W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. (Gore) announces general availability of a very low-profile QSFP direct attach copper cable assembly that is “fiber-like” in size for QDR InfiniBand and 40 GbE aggregate applications. GORE Low-Profile Copper Cable fulfills the needs of dense, higher-port-count switch installations while providing an even more reliable interconnect for high-performance computing (HPC). This cable was provided to major switch vendors and computing OEMs for testing over the last 6-8 months and was tested for compliance and interoperability in spring 2009.

GORE Low-Profile Copper Cable was developed for GORE QSFP Assemblies and InfiniBand QDR applications. With a diameter of 0.170” for a 4x channel, 8-pair cable, the cross-section savings is 37% compared to alternative Gore 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 of GORE Low-Profile Cable allows for more aggressive routing as well as cleaner dressing of the cables in high-performance computing (HPC) environments. This new cable is also less prone to interfere with the closing of cabinet doors in dense environments.

Gore has taken advantage of the superior electrical properties of their proprietary low-loss expanded PTFE, known by the GORE-TEX brand in the fabrics market. The extremely low dielectic constant (1.3) of ePTFE, allows Gore to provide smaller diameter cables with the same 10 Gbps electrical performance of larger OD cables.

Russ Hornung, Product Manager at Gore, comments, “We are extremely pleased with the cable product innovations that have allowed Gore to maintain a leadership position in the industry. The size and flexibility of this low-profile cable have been very positively received. The data centers and OEMs continue to reinforce that the reduction in cable mass provides greater air flow for more efficient cooling which results in increased electronic efficiencies and reduced failures; this is a benefit that is sometimes overlooked.”

Chris Ericksen, Application Engineer at Gore, adds, “Gore continues to add value through innovation. We see the consistency and extremely low dielectric loss-tangent (0.0004) of ePTFE having a more pronounced impact, when compared to conductor loss, as data rates increase and support frequencies move further into the microwave range. Gore’s history of 'Best-in Class' microwave cables is very evident and measurable in the high speed digital world.”

For more information about Gore’s full line of cables and assemblies, visit gore.com/highspeed.