TE Connectivity’s microQSFP Enables Next-Generation Infrastructure for Data Centers

Harrisburg, Pa. – July 27, 2016 – TE Connectivity (TE), a world leader in connectivity and sensors, today announced the launch of its micro Quad Small Form-Factor Pluggable (microQSFP) product line, the next generation of pluggable input/output (I/O) interconnects. The microQSFP connectors help solve key challenges relating to bandwith, thermal performance and energy costs in data storage centers. TE is the first company to bring microQSFP products to market from the microQSFP Multi Source Agreement (MSA) group that is creating an industry-wide ecosystem for microQSFP, and ensuring that products can be easily adopted and integrated into existing data center designs.

The increase in consumer demand for video content and streaming internet services requires significant increases in bandwidth, but standard I/O connectors are limited in their ability to deliver greater throughput in existing infrastructures because of their size and external heatsink.  MicroQSFP connectors deliver QSFP28 functionality in a smaller, generally SFP-sized form factor while providing significantly better thermal performance to help save energy costs, improved electrical performance at 25 gigabits per second (Gbps) and 33 percent higher density than QSFP to fit more ports on a standard line card.

“At a time when faceplate real estate and thermal performance are at a premium, TE’s microQSFP products deliver on both counts,” said Phil Gilchrist, CTO, TE Data and Devices. “The technological innovations of TE’s microQSFP products can revolutionize the industry by enabling customers to place up to 72 ports of 100 Gbps each on a 1RU line card.”

The new microQSFP connectors deliver 56Gbps performance with backward compatibility to 28Gbps to support next generation designs. Built-in fins on TE’s new connectors eliminate the need for additional clips and heatsinks and allow faceplate airflow to the interior of the equipment, which helps microQSFP deliver significantly better thermal performance than QSFP28 and other leading solutions.