Innovative Connectivity Solutions for AI Data Centers
Advanced connectivity solutions are emerging to support the evolving architecture of AI data centers. High-speed board-to-board connectors, next-generation cables, backplanes, and near-ASIC connector-to-cable solutions, operating at speeds up to 224 Gb/s-PAM4, are pivotal in driving the future of computing.
By Wai Kiong Poon, Senior Global Product Manager for Mirror Mezz, Molex
The growing demands for computational power, extensive storage capacity, and seamless connectivity posed by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) applications are unparalleled. High-speed, efficient communication between electronic components is essential for AI data centers to process massive datasets and deliver real-time outputs in various formats, including text, video, audio, and graphics.
To meet these escalating performance requirements, AI data center architects must enhance their system fabrics to support data transmission rates of up to 224 Gb/s using PAM4 modulation. This advancement necessitates innovative interconnect solutions to optimize routing, space efficiency, and power management.
Cutting-edge connectivity solutions—such as high-speed board-to-board connectors, next-generation cables, backplanes, and near-ASIC connector-to-cable solutions operating at speeds up to 224 Gb/s-PAM4—are integral to the design of contemporary data centers.These new architectural innovations must overcome significant performance challenges. While the advent of 112 Gb/s-PAM4 signaling was a milestone, achieving 224 Gb/s is far more complex than merely "doubling the bandwidth." Designing systems for such data transfer rates presents considerable physical challenges, including maintaining signal integrity, reducing electromagnetic interference (EMI), and managing thermal loads more effectively.
The incessant demand for increased performance, capacity, and connectivity within diminishing spaces compounds these challenges. Consequently, upgrading the compute and connectivity infrastructure to support 224 Gb/s rates is insufficient. A comprehensive redesign of AI data centers with 224G technological advancements is imperative. This endeavor necessitates unprecedented industry collaboration and co-development to ensure interoperability among components, hardware, architecture, connectivity, mechanical, and signal integrity solutions to address the physical constraints of electrical channels and to engineer superior mechanical solutions.
To develop or redesign solutions for 224 Gb/s, seamless electrical connections between all components are essential to prevent performance bottlenecks. A co-development approach is crucial to establish transparent methodologies for identifying and addressing signal integrity and other performance concerns.
High-speed board-to-board connectivity
High-speed board-to-board connectors are crucial for AI data centers, enabling rapid data exchange between GPUs, accelerators, and other components. They ensure uninterrupted communication among processors, memory modules, and other critical components, and must be robust enough to endure environmental stresses such as vibration, temperature fluctuations, shock, and physical handling.Supporting high data transfer rates is essential for achieving the performance necessary for complex computations and data processing tasks. These high-speed connectors are particularly beneficial for training and inference tasks in AI, where timely data processing is critical for the algorithms' performance.
Designing high-speed board-to-board connectors with a focus on signal integrity ensures accurate, distortion-free data transmission. This reliability is crucial in applications requiring uncompromising data accuracy, such as medical devices and aerospace systems.
These connectors support varying stack heights, offering engineers greater design flexibility to meet specific AI application requirements, especially in space-constrained environments. For example, using a combination of 2.5 mm and 5.5 mm connectors allows engineers to optimize connector stack height for better performance. Additionally, dense connector configurations help save valuable space on printed circuit boards (PCBs).
Molex’s Mirror Mezz Enhanced High-Speed Mezzanine Board-to-Board ConnectorsMolex’s Mirror Mezz Enhanced high-speed, mezzanine board-to-board connectors offer improved impedance tolerance, reduced crosstalk, and industry-leading density, while supporting speeds of up to 224 Gb/s-PAM4. These versatile, hermaphroditic connectors are interchangeable and can be cross-mated to achieve ultra-low to medium stack heights of 5 mm, 8 mm, and 11 mm. Unlike traditional connector designs that require six connectors for such configurations, two Mirror Mezz Enhanced connectors can be combined to create three different configurations within the same footprint.
To ensure reliable performance at higher speeds, Molex has optimized the terminal structure by incorporating staggered pin placement. Additionally, the manufacturing process has been upgraded to insert molding, achieving the precise placement and tolerance necessary for enhanced performance.
Mirror Mezz Enhanced is part of Molex’s comprehensive line of innovative 224G solutions. This lineup includes the Inception genderless backplane system, the CX2 Dual Speed near-ASIC connector-to-cable system, OSFP 1600 I/O Solutions, and QSFP 800 and QSFP-DD 1600 I/O Solutions.
Inception, designed with a cable-first approach, offers enhanced application flexibility by supporting variable pitch densities and ensuring optimal signal integrity. This design facilitates easy integration with diverse system architectures, providing greater adaptability for various applications.
Molex’s High-Speed Connector PortfolioMolex's CX2 Dual Speed is a near-ASIC connector-to-cable system supporting 224 Gb/s-PAM4. It features screw engagement after mating, an integrated strain-relief mechanism, reliable mechanical wipe, and a fully protected "thumb-proof" mating interface, all designed to enhance long-term reliability.
Complementing the portfolio are the OSFP 1600 Solutions, which include SMT connectors and cages, BiPass technology, direct attach cable (DAC), and active electrical cable (AEC) solutions, all built for 224 Gb/s-PAM4 per lane or an aggregate speed of 1.6T per connector. Similarly, the QSFP 800 and QSFP-DD 1600 solutions offer upgraded capabilities for SMT connectors and cages, BiPass, DAC, and AEC solutions supporting 224 Gb/s-PAM per lane or an aggregate speed of 1.5T per connector.
This comprehensive family of high-speed connectors enables significant data transfer capacity, meeting the demands of data-intensive applications and facilitating smooth, rapid communication between components. This supports box-to-box scaling, allowing data center architects to interconnect multiple chassis via two-connector cable backplanes, as well as three-connector and four-connector systems, each optimized for speed and mechanical robustness.
The evolution of high-speed connectors promises future innovations focusing on further miniaturization, increased data transfer rates, and enhanced power efficiency. Keeping pace with these advancements will be essential for industries dependent on high-performance computing and AI data centers.
Introducing the Molex Mirror Mezz Enhanced Connector: Unlocking the Potential of 224 Gb/s
BonChip Electronics, as a proud distributor of Molex products, is excited to introduce the revolutionary Molex Mirror Mezz Enhanced high-speed mezzanine board-to-board connector. This innovative solution offers exceptional performance, supporting 224 Gb/s-PAM4 data transfer rates
