High-speed cable solution
31 July 2024
Interconnection
The upcoming PCIe 7.0 specification is intended to enable 128 GT/s data rates. It continues PCIe’s trend of doubling the speed 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 centres, HPC, automotive, IoT, and military/aerospace.”
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 presented a proof-of-concept of a chip-adjacent, mid-board high-speed cable system operating at 128 GT/s – PCIe 7.0 specs – with excellent performance.
Specifically, an Alphawave PipeCORE test PHY is transmitting 128 Gbps PAM4 data. The signals travel to a Samtec BE70A, a Bulls Eye test point system, through low-loss coaxial cable, to Samtec precision 1,85 compression-mount RF connectors on a Samtec NovaRay evaluation kit.
NovaRay is a high-density, high-speed board-to-board, and cable-to-board connector system. The combination of extreme density and performance is critical as system sizes decrease and speeds increase.
A Samtec NovaRay connector mates with one end of a NovaRay cable assembly. The signal travels through 20 inches of 34 AWG Samtec Eye Speed ultra-low skew twinax cable, to another NovaRay cable connector, and then to another NovaRay board level connector. The signal then runs back to the Bulls Eye, and back to the Alphawave chip for analysis.
The analysis determined that the system produced a BER of 10-8.
For more information visit www.samtec.com
Further reading:
IO-Link compatible fibre-optic sensor
Vepac Electronics
Interconnection
The DFS71 is a digital fibre-optic sensor with configurable outputs: single output with remote input, redundant, complementary, and classic, which can all be configured as PNP (source), NPN (sink), or push/pull.
Read more...
High-performance connector
Interconnection
The CMM SMPM Series is the result of a collaboration between Nicomatic, a leader in connectors for harsh environments, and Radiall, an expert in RF coaxial connectors.
Read more...
Multi-channel SMPM cable assembly
RFiber Solutions
Interconnection
Withwave’s multi-channel SMPM cable assemblies provide a choice of 26,5, 40 or 50 GHz configurations based on precision array design and superior high-frequency cabling solutions.
Read more...
Cable assembly delivers PAM4 in dense designs
Spectrum Concepts
Interconnection
Samtec’s NovaRay cable assemblies combine performance and extreme density by using 40% less space than traditional arrays.
Read more...
M12 connectors with push-pull fast locking
Phoenix Contact
Interconnection
Phoenix Contact’s push-pull fast-locking system, and the Push-Lock conductor connection, make assembly and installation effortless and reliable.
Read more...
Connectors for automotive zonal architectures
RS South Africa
Interconnection
Rosenberger H-MTD connectors form the basis for reliable and efficient data transmission now and for future automotive zonal architectures.
Read more...
Enabling fast and efficient data centre interventions
Brady Corporation
Interconnection
A need to identify all data centre cables with reliable labels that stay attached, and remain legible, was paramount for the project to succeed.
Read more...
Narrow-body RF edge connectors
Spectrum Concepts
Interconnection
These connectors compression mount to the printed circuit board instead of requiring solder, which results in increased signal integrity performance.
Read more...
Connectors for AI accelerators
Spectrum Concepts
Interconnection
In the world of AI, the CPU continues to provide the processing power for the overall system, whilst accelerators, often GPUs, are the specialist hardware providing the dedicated computational power to crunch through the large models being used by the latest AI systems.
Read more...
Analogue, digital and power in one connector
Spectrum Concepts
Interconnection
Adapting existing technology for RF applications, required the development of specific PCB stack ups and launch optimisations to achieve the differential crosstalk and return loss performance needed for frequencies up to 8 GHz.
Read more...
printer friendly version