The founding promoters of the MSA are Broadcom, Cisco, Finisar, Intel, Juniper Networks, Marvell, Molex, and Samtec.
The new QSFP-DD800 interface expands upon the QSFP-DD, a pluggable form factor with an eight-lane electrical interface widely adopted by new Ethernet switches. This MSA (Multi-Signal Application Standard) envisions each of the eight electrical lanes of the QSFP-DD800 operating at 100 gigabits per second, providing a technological solution for modular and interconnected 800 Gbps systems. It will also define a module, a connector, a stacked connector, and a hybrid connector, thus creating a BiPass/Flyover variant that can eliminate signal loss on a traditional printed circuit board. The MSA Group's primary objective is to define the specifications and promote the adoption of the QSFP-DD800 within the industry. The new QSFP-DD800 specification provides for backward compatibility with QSFP-DD, QSFP28, and QSFP+ modules and cables to meet future industry requirements for systems with speeds of 25.6 Tb/s that support high-density 100 GbE or 400 GbE interfaces.
“Through ongoing strategic cooperation with our sponsors at MSA, we are developing the physical specifications that will enable interoperability of optical transceiver modules, connectors, enclosures, and DAC cables from multiple vendors to ensure a robust environment,” said Scott Sommers, founding member and co-chair of the MSA Group, adding, “We are excited to work together as a group to continue developing and delivering next-generation designs that evolve to meet technological changes.”.
“With the technological innovations brought by the QSFP-DD interface, the time has come to collaborate with our MSA partners to lay the foundation for next-generation systems and modules,” says Mark Nowell, Founding Member and Co-Chairman of the MSA Group, adding: “The QSFP-DD form factor remains the cornerstone for the next step in pluggable module performance and density, while also allowing us to benefit from industry investment, experience, cost structure, and backward compatibility with previous generations.”.
