Popular topics at SC23 included Exascale and quantum computing, AI and machine learning, and cybersecurity, among others. CXL is one of those hot topics. Largely used by designers of data center servers, supercomputers, and enterprise computing systems for applications like AI and machine learning, CXL enables cache coherency between CPUs and external devices. CXL 3.0 leverages PCIe® 6.0 electrical and physical layers at 64 GT/s. It also improves latency in memory … [Read more...]
Samtec Experts on Stage at DesignCon 2024
DesignCon 2024 promises to be another great gathering of the high-speed technical community, where issues of signal integrity, power integrity, EMC/EMI converge. 224 Gbps systems, signals, simulation, and testing are expected to be hot topics in ’24. Samtec will be front and center at DesignCon, as hosts of the Tuesday night Welcome Reception as well as showing our latest products and demos in booth 939 on the show floor (more to come on that in a later blog). There will be a lot going on, … [Read more...]
New Proof-of-Concept High-Speed Cable Solution Performs At 128 GT/s
The upcoming PCIe® 7.0 specification is intended to enable 128 GT/s data rates. It continues PCIe’s trend of double speeds every generation. According to PCI-SIG, "PCIe 7.0 technology is targeted to be a scalable interconnect solution for data-intensive markets like Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, Data Center, HPC, Automotive, IoT, and Military/Aerospace."(1) PCIe 7.0 is targeted for release in 2025, and it probably won’t be in devices until 2027. But, at SC 23 in Denver, Samtec … [Read more...]
New 224 G Interconnect Family In A Live Product Demonstration
Emerging system requirements are driven by industry advancements in areas such as data centers, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and quantum computing, among others. Samtec 224 Gbps PAM4 interconnect systems are carefully designed to satisfy these high-performance requirements, as you’ll see in the video. Ralph Page, Systems Architect at Samtec, gives an overview of what is possibly the world’s first public demonstration of an asynchronous 224 G system. This 224 G demo is from … [Read more...]
New Connector Products and Technologies On Display At SC23
Samtec will present several cutting-edge connector product demonstrations at SC23, all designed for high-performance computing, networking, storage, and analysis. New connectors include a new 224 Gbps PAM4 mid-board cable system, as well as a proof-of-concept solution for PCIe® 7.0. There are also connector solutions for CXL 3.0, PCIe 6.0, and 112 Gbps PAM4, as well as state-of-the-art fiber optic connector systems. If you're there, stop by booth 319. Samtec products that will be live in … [Read more...]
Living On The Edge Rate
Edge Rate® is one of Samtec's most popular high-speed, high-bandwidth interconnect systems. Edge Rate is both the name of the pin and in this case, it’s also a product family. Edge Rate Contact Design Let’s begin with the contact system because that’s the star of the show. With some connectors, the mating edge of the contact is the cut edge of the pin. If you look at the edge under a microscope you may see micro burrs and edges. This reduces the life of the connector because … [Read more...]
Validating the Performance of Miniature Array Connectors
Small, complex, and portable applications (in industries such as military/aerospace and medical) require miniaturized, reliable interconnects. As traditional surface-mount and through-hole interconnects reach their limits in terms of density and the number of signals that can effectively be used, many product designers are implementing high I/O array styles of interconnects. In a new white paper from Samtec, “Improved Solder Joint Integrity for High-Density Interconnect Applications,” the … [Read more...]
New Linear Direct Drive At 112 Gbps PAM4
Straight from DesignCon 2023, Kevin Burt, Samtec's Director of Happiness, walks us through a proof-of-concept for an on-package, or near-package, linear direct drive electrical channel that gives us a 100-meter link at 112 Gbps. These links could be used in mid-board optical and copper designs using Samtec Flyover® cable assemblies or high-speed mezzanine connector sets, as well as for full-channel front-panel and back-panel cable applications. A Multilane Pattern Generator generates a 112 … [Read more...]
PCIe 6.0 Data Routed From New Chip-Adjacent Connector To Front Panel
PCIe 6.0, optics, 112 Gbps PAM4, linear direct drives, PCIe over fiber. Samtec displayed a variety of live product demonstrations - both optical and copper - at OFC 2023. Two demos, both in tandem with our partner Cadence, received much attention. Both demonstrated cutting-edge data rates, one at 112 Gbps PAM4, and the other is 64 GT/s, PCIe 6.0 data rates. And both show excellent signal integrity performance from our Samtec Flyover® High-Speed cable systems. This blog and video … [Read more...]
Improve Power Integrity and Signal Integrity With New Interconnects
A new connector system improves signal integrity by improving power integrity. Optimizing power integrity provides greater signal integrity margin and improves power and thermal efficiency. The design of a high-speed connector system's breakout region, or BOR, impacts signal integrity. The BOR of a power connector also impacts signal integrity. How do we create a BOR that minimizes parasitic inductance? PI + SI: A New Connector In this video from DesignCon 2023, Alex Wroten, … [Read more...]