NCSA
HPCwire

Since 1986 - Covering the Fastest Computers
in the World and the People Who Run Them

Language Flags

Visit additional Tabor Communication Publications

Datanami
Digital Manufacturing Report
HPC in the Cloud
Green Computing Report

Tabor Communications
Corporate Video

Finisar Introduces 40 Gbps Parallel Active Optical Cable


SUNNYVALE, Calif., and AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 18 -- Finisar Corporation, a technology leader in fiber optic solutions for high-speed networks, today introduced Quadwire, a 40 gigabit per second (Gbps) optical link for datacenters and high-performance computer clusters. Quadwire is a parallel active optical cable that provides a 40 Gbps aggregate link via four 10 Gbps full-duplex channels. Based on the industry-standard QSFP form factor, this new cable utilizes fiber optic technology to transmit parallel high-speed data over ribbon multi-mode fiber. Finisar will demonstrate this new cable as part of the SCinet Network Infrastructure at booth #2315 at Supercomputing in Austin, Texas, Nov. 17-20.

As InfiniBand supercomputing clusters move from double data rates (DDR) to quad data rates (QDR), existing copper cables present physical challenges to the system architecture. In addition to being heavy and bulky, these cables are limited to short distances as data integrity deteriorates over longer links. By contrast, Quadwire features a parallel 4x10 Gbps optical bi-directional link, meeting the needs for increased data rates in longer lengths (up to 100 meters) while offering a lighter weight solution and much smaller bend radius. In addition, Quadwire uses Finisar's VCSEL (vertical cavity surface emitting laser) array technology, known in the industry for high reliability and superior performance. The cable's small diameter supports large port count architectures, ultimately enabling simpler installations and fiber management.

"The physical challenge of connecting InfiniBand clusters with bulky copper cables has been difficult to manage even at DDR data rates of 20 Gbps," said Jag Bolaria, senior analyst at The Linley Group. "As the first QDR (40 Gbps) InfiniBand switches and Host Channel Adapters (HCAs) begin to roll out, Active Optical Cables, such as Quadwire, are emerging as the interconnect solutions to overcome limitations of copper."

"Active Optical Cables are quickly becoming the next generation interconnects of choice for high-speed datacenter connectivity," said Jan Meise, director of strategic marketing at Finisar Corporation. "The introduction of Quadwire, our second optical cable product, marks Finisar's entry into parallel connectivity, supporting leading edge cluster technology with a superior alternative to copper cables."

Finisar is currently supplying samples of Quadwire active optical cable to customers. For more information about Quadwire or Finisar's active optical cable product line, contact Finisar Corporation at 1-408-548-1000, send email to cables@finisar.com or visit www.finisar.com/cables.

About Finisar

Finisar Corporation (NASDAQ: FNSR) is a global technology leader for fiber optic subsystems and network test systems that enable high-speed voice, video and data communications for networking, storage, wireless, and cable TV applications. For more than 20 years, Finisar has provided critical optics technologies to system manufacturers to meet the increasing demands for network bandwidth and storage. Finisar is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., with R&D, manufacturing sites, and sales offices worldwide. For additional information, visit www.finisar.com.

-----

Source: Finisar Corp.

Sponsored Links

Webinar: Programming Heterogeneous X64+GPU Systems Using OpenACC
Join Michael Wolfe as he compares the advantages and costs of using both low-level models and the directive-based OpenACC model for programming accelerated heterogeneous systems. Registration is free.

High-Performance Computing in Action
Businesses that want to be on the cutting edge of their industries are increasingly turning to high-performance computing (HPC) solutions to handle complex compute processes and speed up their rate of innovation. Download this Executive Brief to see how businesses in energy, life sciences and entertainment put HPC solutions to work in their operations.

Accelerate your science with Seneca
One of the first HPC providers installing a 4X NVIDIA Kepler K-20 cluster. Invites you to a free evaluation on Seneca’s NVIDIA K20 Kepler cluster, pre-loaded with AMBER, NAMD, LAMMPS

May 21, 2013

May 20, 2013

May 17, 2013

May 16, 2013

May 15, 2013

May 14, 2013

May 13, 2013

May 10, 2013

May 09, 2013


Most Read Features

Most Read Around the Web

Most Read This Just In


Feature Articles

CERN, Google Drive Future of Global Science Initiatives

Large-scale, worldwide scientific initiatives rely on some cloud-based system to both coordinate efforts and manage computational efforts at peak times that cannot be contained within the combined in-house HPC resources. Last week at Google I/O, Brookhaven National Lab’s Sergey Panitkin discussed the role of the Google Compute Engine in providing computational support to ATLAS, a detector of high-energy particles at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).
Read more...

Saddling Phi for TACC’s Stampede

The Xeon Phi coprocessor might be the new kid on the high performance block, but out of all first-rate kickers of the Intel tires, the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) got the first real jab with its new top ten Stampede system.We talk with the center's Karl Schultz about the challenges of programming for Phi--but more specifically, the optimization...
Read more...

"No Exascale for You!" An Interview with Berkeley Lab's Horst Simon

Although Horst Simon was named Deputy Director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, he maintains his strong ties to the scientific computing community as an editor of the TOP500 list and as an invited speaker at conferences.
Read more...

Short Takes

Running Computational Fluid Dynamics in the Cloud

May 16, 2013 | When it comes to cloud, long distances mean unacceptably high latencies. Researchers from the University of Bonn in Germany examined those latency issues of doing CFD modeling in the cloud by utilizing a common CFD and its utilization in HPC instance types including both CPU and GPU cores of Amazon EC2.
Read more...

Computing the Physics of Bubbles

May 15, 2013 | Supercomputers at the Department of Energy’s National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC) have worked on important computational problems such as collapse of the atomic state, the optimization of chemical catalysts, and now modeling popping bubbles.
Read more...

Internet2 Awards Program Seeks Innovative Applications

May 10, 2013 | Program provides cash awards up to $10,000 for the best open-source end-user applications deployed on 100G network.
Read more...

Floating Funding to Exascale Island

May 09, 2013 | The Japanese government has revealed its plans to best its previous K Computer efforts with what they hope will be the first exascale system...
Read more...

Sponsored Whitepapers

Best Practices in Big Data Storage

05/10/2013 | Cleversafe, Cray, DDN, NetApp, & Panasas | From Wall Street to Hollywood, drug discovery to homeland security, companies and organizations of all sizes and stripes are coming face to face with the challenges – and opportunities – afforded by Big Data. Before anyone can utilize these extraordinary data repositories, however, they must first harness and manage their data stores, and do so utilizing technologies that underscore affordability, security, and scalability.

Progress in Parallel: the Bull Parallel Programming Center

04/15/2013 | Bull | “50% of HPC users say their largest jobs scale to 120 cores or less.” How about yours? Are your codes ready to take advantage of today’s and tomorrow’s ultra-parallel HPC systems? Download this White Paper by Analysts Intersect360 Research to see what Bull and Intel’s Center for Excellence in Parallel Programming can do for your codes.

Sponsored Multimedia

SGI DMF ZeroWatt Disk Solution

In this demonstration of SGI DMF ZeroWatt disk solution, Dr. Eng Lim Goh, SGI CTO, discusses a function of SGI DMF software to reduce costs and power consumption in an exascale (Big Data) storage datacenter.

Cray CS300-AC Cluster Supercomputer Air Cooling Technology Video

The Cray CS300-AC cluster supercomputer offers energy efficient, air-cooled design based on modular, industry-standard platforms featuring the latest processor and network technologies and a wide range of datacenter cooling requirements.

SC12 Editorial Feature HPCwire Soundbite sponsored by ISC

HPC Job Bank


Featured Events


  • June 16, 2013 - June 20, 2013
    ISC'13
    Leipzig,
    Germany

  • June 17, 2013 - June 18, 2013
    Forecast 2013
    San Francisco, CA
    United States





HPCwire Events