Molex and TE Connectivity enter into a Second Source Agreement for high-speed interconnect products

     Molex Corporation and TE Connectivity Ltd have entered into a second source agreement. Under the agreement, TE Connectivity will have the right to manufacture, market and sell a number of Molex high-speed interconnect solutions worldwide, including the z-Quad Small Size Pluggable +(zQSFP+) and Small Size Pluggable +(zSFP+). Molex will have the right to manufacture, market and sell TE Connectivity's Quadra high-speed I/O connectors worldwide. These products are Plans of record from the InfiniBand Trade Association (IBTA), the Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) and other standards bodies.

     By sharing design and manufacturing processes, Molex and TE Connectivity will work together to bring electrical and mechanical interchangeable products to market as quickly as possible. The two companies will also continue to work together on industry-standard solutions to ensure customers receive products that meet design requirements.

     Molex and TE Connectivity are world-class connector manufacturers with global design and manufacturing facilities. By combining high-speed/high signal integrity technologies with strong manufacturing capabilities, the two companies will be able to offer customers solutions that are innovative, high-performance and service excellence. Both companies are leaders in the high-speed connector industry in terms of R&D investment and use a customer-focused, customer-oriented product design and development process to ensure solutions meet performance, quality and cost expectations.

     Molex's zQSFP+ solution is designed for high-density interconnect applications, supporting next-generation 100Gbps Ethernet and 100Gbps InfiniBand Enhanced Data Rate (EDR) applications. System components include SMT connectors; Copper passive cable assembly; EMI shielding and active optical cable. The zQSFP+ SMT 38-way connector and shield assembly provide excellent signal integrity and electromagnetic Interference (EMI) protection. They are also available for 10 Gbps Ethernet and 16 Gbps Fibre Channel applications and are capable of supporting serial lines up to 40 Gbps.

     TE Connectivity's Quadra high-speed I/O connector addresses the 100 Gbps market with a new interface developed specifically for data rates of 28 Gbps per differential pair. The connector has optimal performance and is expected to be able to support data rates of up to 40 Gbps per differential pair. Quadra connector technology is available in a variety of wire pair number configurations and is proposed to support industry standards and multilateral agreements (MSA).

     In high-density applications, this technology can be used to support copper cables and short-range optical interconnects, and in long-distance applications can support high-power optical transceivers. The Quadra connector has an included shield system that includes EMI protection and thermal management elements. Differential pairs are arranged in a specific way in this connector architecture, allowing system implementers to optimize the wiring for additional channel advantages.