Semtech unveils CopperEdge 112G PAM4 portfolio

Semtech Corp. has launched its new CopperEdge 112G PAM4 product portfolio, targeting 400G (4x100G) and 800G (8x100G) data-center applications using copper cable and backplane interconnects. Sampling now is the first product released in the portfolio, the CopperEdge GN8112, a quad-channel 112 Gbits/s PAM4 linear equalizer.

CopperEdge GN8112 quad-channel 112G PAM4 linear equalizer (Source: Semtech Corp.)

The CopperEdge GN8112 enables low-cost active copper cables (ACCs) that reach up to five meters over a copper twinaxial (Twinax) cable assembly. This reach extension, compared to passive copper cables with a reach of 1.5 meters, enables ACCs to handle the large volume 400G and 800G data-center interconnects while offering ultra-low power of <0.75 watt (W) per 400G and ultra-low latency of <10 ps.

Applications include cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and high-performance computing (HPC). It can also be used in backplane and onboard applications to extend the trace lengths of interconnects in high-speed communication between two end points, said the company.

The CopperEdge GN8112 is sampling now. The company also offers ACC Reference Design Kits (RDKs) for the GN8112.

The company will feature live demonstrations of the CopperEdge GN8112 for 400G ACCs to at China International Optoelectronic Exposition (CIOE) 2022, Sept. 7-9 in Shenzhen, China, and the European Conference on Optical Communication (ECOC) 2022, Sept. 18-22 in Basel,

Earlier this year, Semtech expanded its Tri-Edge optical platform with the launch of two clock and data recovery (CDR) transmitters and an ultra-low-power CDR receiver. The Tri-Edge GN2555 and GN2556 CDR transmitters are designed for long reach (LR) optical links, and the GN2559S Tri-Edge CDR receiver are targeted at both LR and short reach (SR) optical links in 200G and 400G data centers.