OIF to double data rate with a 224G electrical interface

• The OIF will develop a faster electrical signalling standard 
• The 224-gigabit standard will make optical modules sleeker 
• It will also help data centre operators keep up with ever-growing software workloads

Nathan TracyIt was just a matter of time before the OIF started on the next electrical interface standard beyond 112 gigabits-per-second (Gbps).

There have been announcements of new 800-gigabit optical modules along with growing interest in co-packaged optics, where optical interfaces are added alongside semiconductor chips.

Nathan Tracy, TE Connectivity and OIF president, says member companies will need to be creative to develop a 224-gigabit electrical interface. Getting signals to travel at such speeds over workable distances will be a challenge.  

The project, to kick-off in August, will begin with a study phase that will help identify the interface types needed.  

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Stitching together disaggregated chips

The Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) has begun work on a 112-gigabit electrical interface to connect chips in a multi-chip module.

The ultra-short-reach electrical interface for multi-chip modules adds to the OIF's ongoing CEI-112G project, started in August 2016, to develop a 112 gigabit-per-second (Gbps) serial electrical interface for next-generation optical modules. 

Source: Gazettabyte, OIF data. The year 2018 is an estimate.

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