NVIDIA Mellanox LinkX Ethernet DAC Cables

Learn about direct attach copper (DAC) cables and splitters for GPU-accelerated computing.

Lowest Cost, Power, and Latency

LinkX-certified cables are 100 percent tested in actual NVIDIA GPU and switching systems to ensure optimal signal integrity and the best end-to-end performance. NVIDIA DAC cables are designed for use in supercomputers and hyperscale systems that have very stringent requirements. All NVIDIA cables are tested to bit error ratios (BER) lower than IEEE industry standards. They’re available in lengths from 0.5m to 7m, in small form-factor pluggable (SFP) and quad small form-factor pluggable (QSFP) options, and with 10G/25G-non-return-to-zero (NRZ) and 50G-4-level pulse amplitude modulation (PAM4).

The low-loss 25G- NRZ-based DAC cables support the IEEE CA-N and CA-L specifications. When used at <2 meters, they enable running switches with NO-forward error correction (FEC) or reduced-FEC to save latency and power.

HIGHLIGHTS

PORT SPEEDS

10G-400Gb/s

STRAIGHT AND SPLITTERS

1x, 2x, 4x

FORM FACTORS*

SFP, QSFP, QSFP-DD

MODULATION TYPES

25G NRZ, 50G-PAM4

* QSFP-DD: quad small form-factor pluggable double density

Low Cost, Near-Zero Power, Low Latency and Insertion Loss

DAC cables contain no electronics, consume zero power, and offer the lowest latency and insertion loss. In NVIDIA DGX™ A100 GPU systems, DACs are used to link GPUs to network switches and to create Ethernet storage fabrics (ESF) with hard-disk-drive (HDD) and flash subsystems.

Key Features

  • 25G-NRZ up to 5 meters; 50G-PAM4 up to 2.5 meters
  • 25G-NRZ supports IEEE CA-N No-FEC or reduced-FEC low-latency operation
  • Available in two-, four-, and eight-splitter configurations
  • Extensive 10/25/50/100/200/400G product offering
  • Designed and manufactured by NVIDIA LinkX-Optics
  • Tested and certified in NVIDIA GPU, DGX™, EGX™, and DPU systems

Benefits

  • Lowest-cost, high-speed interconnect
  • Consumes near-zero power and has near zero-latency delays
  • Every part tested in NVIDIA GPU and switching systems for guaranteed out-of-the-box optimal operation
  • Designed to beyond IEEE industry BER standards for reliable operation under harsh operating conditions
  • Highly reliable with no electronics or optical connectors

High-Speed Interconnects

The latest rapid growth in data center traffic and cloud computing has resulted in tremendous increases in machine-to-machine traffic due to rapid adoption of server virtualization, software-defined networks (SDNs), and in-cloud computing. Now add the massive bandwidth requirements for networking terabytes of data for training Artificial Intelligence (AI) machine learning (ML) GPU-based systems.

This is driving massive demands for high-bandwidth and low-latency networks. High-speed DAC and AOC cables and optical transceiver interconnects are playing a critical role in these modern data center technologies. Learn more with this 38-page e-book packed with details on Ethernet DACs, AOCs, and optical transceivers.

Download The Case Study

ETHERNET DAC STRAIGHT CABLE

Configuration Form Factor Cable Jacket* Part Number Lengths (Meters)
400Gb/s 8x 50G-PAM4 QSFP56-DD LSZH MCP1660-W0 .5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5 **
200Gb/s 4x 50G-PAM4 QSFP56 LSZH MCP1650-V0 .5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5 **
100Gb/s 4x 25G-NRZ QSFP28 LSZH MCP1600-C .5, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 5
50Gb/s 1x 50G-PAM4 SFP56 LSZH MCP2M50-G .5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5 **
40Gb/s 4x10G-NRZ QSFP+ PVC MC2210130 .5, 1, 2, 3
40Gb/s 4x10G-NRZ QSFP+ PVC MC2210128 3, 4, 5
40Gb/s 4x10G-NRZ QSFP+ PVC MC2210126 4, 5, 6, 7
25Gb/s 1x25G-NRZ SFP28 LSZH MCP2M00-A .5, 1, 1/5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5
10Gb/s 1x 10G-NRZ SFP+ PVC MC3309130 .5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5
10Gb/s 1x 10G-NRZ SFP+ PVC MC3309124 4, 5, 6, 7

* LSZH: low-smoke, zero-halogen cable jackets; PVC: polyvinyl chloride cable jackets.
** 50G-PAM4-based 50G, 200G, and 400G DACs support 3m IEEE cable standards, but 2.5m in NVIDIA switching systems.

ETHERNET DAC SPLITTER CABLE

Configuration Form Factor Cable Jacket* Part Number** Lengths (Meters)
400Gb/s to dual 200Gb/s 8x 50G-PAM4 to dual 4x 50G-PAM4 QSFP56-DD to 2x QSFP56 LSZH MCP7H60-W0 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5 ***
400Gb/s to quad 100Gb/s 8x 50G-PAM4 to quad 2x 50G-PAM4 QSFP56-DD to 4x QSFP56 LSZH MCP7F60-W0 1, 2, 2.5, ***
400Gb/s to eight 50Gb/s 8x 50G-PAM4 to eight 1x 50G-PAM4 QSFP56-DD to 8x SFP56 LSZH MCP7F80-W0 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, ***
200Gb/s to dual 100Gb/s 4x50G-PAM4 to dual 2x 50G-PAM4 QSFP56 to 2x QSFP56 LSZH MCP7H50-V0 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5 ***
200Gb/s to quad 50Gb/s 4x 50G-PAM4 to quad 1x 50G-PAM4 QSFP56 to 4x SFP56 LSZH MCP7H70-V0 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5 ***
100Gb/s to dual 50Gb/s 4x 25G-NRZ to dual 2x 25G-NRZ QSFP28 to 2x QSFP28 LSZH MCP7H00-G 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4
100Gb/s to Quad 25Gb/s 4x25G-NRZ -to-Quad 1x25G-NR QSFP28 to 4x SFP28 LSZH MCP7F00-A 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 5
100Gb/s to Quad 25Gb/s 4x 25G-NRZ to quad 1x 25G-NRZ QSFP28 to 4x SFP28 LSZH MCP7F00-A 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 5
40Gb/s to Quad 10Gb/s 4x 10G-NRZ to quad 1x 10G-NRZ QSFP+ to 4x SFP+ PVC MC2609130 1, 3
40Gb/s to Quad 10Gb/s 4x 10G-NRZ to quad 1x 10G-NRZ QSFP+ to 4x SFP+ PVC MC2609125 5
40Gb/s to 1x10Gb/s 1x 10G-NRZ to 1x 10G NRZ QSFP+/SFP+ 1-channel adapter cable PVC MC2309130 .5, 1, 2, 3
40Gb/s to 1x10Gb/s 1x 10G-NRZ to 1x 10G NRZ QSFP+/SFP+ 1-channel adapter cable PVC MC2309124 5, 7

Splitter cables are also called “breakout” cables.
* LSZH: Low-smoke, zero-halogen cables support IEEE CA-N and CA-L low-loss specifications; PVC: polyvinyl chloride cable jackets.
** See product briefs for detailed product codes, specifications, and reach lengths.
*** 50G-PAM4-based 50G, 200G, and 400G DACs support 3m IEEE standards, but 2.5m in NVIDIA switching systems.

RESOURCES

PRODUCT BRIEFS

400Gb/s Product Brief
200Gb/s Product Brief
100Gb/s Product Brief
40Gb/s Product Brief
25Gb/s Product Brief
10Gb/s Product Brief

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