Samtec Demonstrates New 1.6 Tbps OCP OAI EXP Module at SC24
For many visitors to the Samtec booth at SC24 (SuperComputing 2024), a next-generation challenge is data center growth and optimization, especially as it relates to artificial intelligence (AI). Or, as stated by the Open Compute Project, “Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications are rapidly evolving and producing an explosion of new types of hardware accelerators for Machine Learning (ML), Deep Learning (DL), and High-performance Computing (HPC).(1)“
Samtec works closely with its customers and partners to bring innovative interconnect solutions to market that meet specific real-world needs. At SC24, Samtec presented several live product demonstrations that showcased our next-generation, high-performance copper and optical interconnect solutions.
In the video above, Samtec’s Ralph Page briefly overviews a new Samtec FireFlyTM OCP OAI EXP Module, as demonstrated at SC24.
OCP OAI EXP Module
It incorporates 16 FireFly optical transceivers with 1.6 Tbps aggregate throughput. The FireFly module is protocol agnostic, including support for Ethernet, PCIe, and CXL over optics. It typically requires half the power of MSA-style optics, and a full OAI system design could accommodate up to eight FireFly OAI EXP Module cards.
The performance is excellent: at 28 Gbps NRZ, the BER is effectively zero (e-16), and the eyes are wide open.
The FireFly OCP OAI EXP Module also incorporates enabling technology from US Conec, whose very small form factor MMC optical connectors allow Samtec to achieve the fiber density required for the OCP card form factor.
Samtec FireFly® Optical Transceiver
FireFly™ Micro Flyover System™ is the first interconnect system that gives a designer the flexibility of using micro footprint high-performance optical and low-cost copper interconnects interchangeably with the same connector system.
Samtec FireFly™ copper and optical cable systems provide the flexibility to achieve higher data rates to 28 Gbps and/or greater distances, simplifying board design and enhancing performance.
Details of Samtec’s FireFly Optical Transceiver (ECUO):
- Performance to 28 Gbps; 32 Gbps in development
- x4 and x12 designs
- OM3 or OM4 multi-mode fiber
- Variety of End 2 options and heat sinks for various cooling processes
- Extended Temperature FireFly™ with a -40 ºC to +85 ºC range for military and industrial applications (ETUO, ETMO)
- PCIe®-Over-Fiber optical cable systems transmit 3.0/4.0 data up to 100 m (PCUO); 5.0 data rate in development
- PCIe®-Over-Fiber adaptor card supports transparent and non-transparent bridging (PCOA)
Also from SC24: Samtec Si-Fly HD Connector Supports 24 Gbps With Excellent Performance
(1) Open Compute Project, Open Accelerator Infrastructure (OAI) – Expansion Module (EXP), Base Specification r2.0 v1.0
