Molex taps 3M for expanded beam optical connector
Molex has used an Expanded Beam Optics (EB) ferrule from 3M for its Versabeam EBO optical connector for AI datacentre fibres links.
EBO expands the beam between connectors to reduce sensitivity to dust and debris and avoids the need for springs to maintain the fibre alignment, while dramatically decreasing the need for frequent cleaning, inspection and maintenance.
It also allows faster deployment speed as fewer connections are required, reducing installation time and complexity.
Data centre providers are continually upgrading bandwidth while minimizing infrastructure changes to keep up with the demands of AI. The EBO optical connector is aimed at intra-rack and server connections, integrating 12, 16 or 144 fibres into a single connector with the very small form factor (VSFF) to maximize rack-unit usage and minimize space. This helps simplify cable routing, speed data center deployments and lower total cost of ownership.
During a 3M customer field test of EBO connectors with a hyperscale data center customer, similar time savings were realized when compared to the deployment of conventional MPO connectors. For 3M’s test, the elimination of cleaning and inspection yielded a total time savings of 85%, totaling more than six hours in reduced deployment time.
The connectors have an insertion loss of under 0.3dB for single mode fibre and 0.7dB for multimode, with a return loss of over 55dB for single mode and 25dB for multimode, which determines the distance the cables can run.
“The best designs often are the simplest, which is true with Molex VersaBeam EBO connectors as customers can make reliable connections with one click,” said Trevor Smith, general manager, Optical Connectivity, Molex. “No special skillsets are needed to install these connectors, empowering organizations to rapidly reap the performance and cost benefits of resilient, scalable fibre connectivity.”
“The Expanded Beam Optical connector is the future of high-speed, resilient data center infrastructure,” said Kevin Twomey, global portfolio director, Electronics Materials Solution Division, 3M. “We are excited to collaborate with Molex to transform multi-fiber connectivity in data centers. This technology is a game-changer compared to traditional connectors — significantly reducing contamination risks while boosting deployment speed and performance.”
“Molex’s VersaBeam EBO brings tremendous value by removing the struggle of connecting our data center infrastructure while simplifying cleaning and inspecting every connection at a lower power density,” said Dave Boertjes, senior director, Advanced Photonic Networks R&D, Ciena. “By utilizing VersaBeam EBO, we achieved a 6X time reduction in inspection cleaning, which is critical to speeding deployments and keeping pace with the current landscape.”
Molex’s VersaBeam EBO Interconnect Solutions family is now available.
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