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Home » Products » Smart Cable Modules » Taurus Ethernet Smart Cable Modules

Taurus Ethernet Smart Cable Modules

Home » Products » Smart Cable Modules » Taurus Ethernet Smart Cable Modules

Taurus Ethernet Smart Cable Modules™

 

Astera Labs delivers Taurus Smart Cable Modules™ (Taurus SCM™) that overcome reach, signal integrity and bandwidth utilization issues for 100G/Lane Ethernet connectivity for Switch-to-Switch and Switch-to-Server applications.

The Taurus SCM portfolio enables a cost-effective, active solution for 200/400/800G Ethernet rack connectivity with 50% lower power, <100 ns latency, and 3-meter reach over thin copper gauge cables. It also includes Astera Labs' COnnectivity System Management and Optimization Software (COSMOS) suite which provides extensive link management, fleet management, and Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability (RAS) features. Taurus SCM facilitates a flexible supply chain of Smart Electrical Cables by qualifying with leading cable vendors to support Taurus capabilities in QSFP-DD and OSFP backshells.

  • Supports 100G PAM4 (106.25 Gbps), 50G PAM4 (53.125 Gbps), 25G NRZ (26.5625 Gbps and 25.78125 Gbps), and other Ethernet line rates
  • Resolves rate mismatch between NICs and switches with 50G-to-100G PAM4 & 25G-NRZ-to-50G-PAM4 aggregation/disaggregation (Gearbox)
  • 36-dB reach extension for up to 3-meter, 34AWG copper cables, ensuring sufficient cable length and flexibility.
  • Ultra-Low-Latency data path supports < 100 ns.
  • Advanced fleet management capabilities with full CMIS Features, security, and extensive diagnostics: cable degradation monitoring, host-cable security, multiple loopback modes, pattern generation/checking
  • Qualified with leading cable vendors to enable Smart Electrical Cables (SECs) in QSFP-DD and OSFP backshells.
Download Product Brief
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More About Taurus SCM Portfolio
    System Block Diagram
    taurus-smart-cable-module-diagram

    Orderable Information

    Taurus Ethernet Smart Cable Modules

    Orderable Part NumberDescriptionMax Data GenCable Line RateModePackage / ConnectorOrdering
    EM400-QDX400G QSFP-DD Taurus Smart Cable Module400G50G/Lane, 100G/LanePAM4QSFP-DDContact Us, https://www.asteralabs.com/product-details/em400-qdx/
    EM400-EPS400G OSFP Taurus Smart Cable Module400G50G/Lane, 100G/LanePAM4OSFPContact Us, https://www.asteralabs.com/product-details/em400-eps/
    EM800-EPS800G OSFP Taurus Smart Cable Module800G100G/LanePAM4OSFPContact Us, https://www.asteralabs.com/product-details/em800-eps/
    EM800-QDX800G QSFP-DD Taurus Smart Cable Module800G100G/LanePAM4QSFP-DDContact Us, https://www.asteralabs.com/product-details/em800-qdx/
    EM200-QDX200G QSFP-DD Taurus Smart Cable Module200G25G/LaneNRZQSFP-DDContact Us, https://www.asteralabs.com/product-details/em200-qdx/

    Why Use Taurus Smart Cable Modules?

    Taurus SCMs enable robust, easy-to-design 100G/Lane Ethernet connectivity and provide all the benefits of basic Active Electrical Cables, while also offering COSMOS' suite of built-in advanced fleet management, security, and deep diagnostic capabilities critical to ensuring high reliability and up-time.

    Robustness

    Extended Cable Line Rate: future proof scalability for 200G/400G/800G


    Low Power: uses 50% less power than Active Optical Cables


    Low Latency: Low latency operation at < 100ns


    Security: Advanced security features help prevent malicious attacks of unauthorized firmware loading, module diagnostics access, and configurations

    Easy System Design

    Thin Cable Gauge: Up to 34AWG


    Fewer Twinax Pairs: 8 pairs at 200G/400G/800G reduces overall external diameter of cables


    Extended Reach: Up to 3m of reach at 34AWG


    Flexible Supply Chain: Taurus Smart Cable Modules are compatible with multiple cable vendors for easy second sourcing of active cable assembly

    Fleet Management

    Quick Debug: Self-test features enable rapid troubleshooting


    Deep Diagnostics: Cable-side and host-side diagnostics enable easy management of entire fleets

    The Difference is Clear

    Taurus SCMs deliver cloud service providers system-wide visibility and management features, which enable enhanced security options, quick debug tools, and flexible firmware upgrade capabilities — all of which basic Active Electrical Cables cannot match.

    Applications

    Switch-to-Switch
    Switch-to-Switch

    Enabling an “Active” plus “Smart” approach to higher-bandwidth Switch-to-Switch Ethernet interconnects

    Switch-to-Server
    Switch to Server Configurations

    Enabling an “Active” plus “Smart” approach to higher-bandwidth Switch-to-Server Ethernet interconnects and Switch-to-NIC bandwidth utilization

    Videos

    OCP Video with Thad
    06 Nov
    Unprecedented Scale for Cloud and AI Infrastructure at OCP Global Summit 2023

    At OCP Global Summit, we showcased how our PCIe, CXL, and Ethernet connectivity solutions deliver unprecedented reach, unprecedented memory capacity and bandwidth, and unprecedented flexibility.

    DesignCon Thumbnail
    15 Feb
    Rack-Scale Demo of Taurus Ethernet Smart Cable Modules 

    Check out this video demo of our Taurus Ethernet Smart Cable Modules™. Learn about the benefits of Active Electrical Cables and how Taurus enables up to 100G/lane PAM4 for Switch-to-Server and Switch-to-Switch interconnect, at rack scale.

    Taurus-Smart-Cable-Module-Demo
    10 Nov
    Taurus Smart Cable Module™ 400GbE PAM4 Connectivity Demonstration

    See a Taurus Smart Cable Module™ enabled 400GbE PAM4 Smart Electrical Cable in action with a demonstration of an end-to-end 400GbE link up passing error-free traffic as well as real-time link diagnostics.

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    FAQ

    What are the design challenges for 400G/800G ethernet applications using Direct Attached Copper (DAC)?
    1. At 50Gbps/lane, passive direct-attach copper (DAC) cables barely reach 3-meters. At 100Gbps/lane, DACs may only have a 2-meter practical reach limit.
    2. The switch PCB consumes too much of the channel budget, which then limits the cable reach and increases cable gauge.
    3. DACs are rigid, heavy, and bulky, restricting airflow for system cooling and making rack servicing difficult.

    Read more

    What are the design challenges for 400G/800G ethernet applications using optical interconnects?
    1. Optical modules have high power consumption. A 400G module consumes around 12W and a 800G module may consume up to 20W.
    2. Optical modules require advanced low loss materials which are expensive.
    3. Optical modules have a shorter lifespan and are less reliable compared to active copper cables. Data center operators need to constantly maintain and replace the failed optical modules.

    Read more

    What are the potential solutions to address high speed switch-to-server interconnects?
    1. Active Optical Cables (AOC) can be used for rate conversion and to achieve thin wire profile. However, such optical designs incur additional costs, reliability concerns, and require more power.
    2. Active Copper Cables (ACC) can be used for rate conversion, have a lower design cost when compared to AOC while also supporting even thinner gauge cabling as compared to passive DACs. General purpose ACCs are limited by their lack of diagnostics and security features.
    3. Smart Electrical Cables (SEC) that utilize Taurus Smart Cable Modules have all the benefits of an ACC with the added “”smarts”” required by Cloud Service Providers.

    Read more

    What are the typical use cases for the Taurus Smart Cable Module?
    1. Switch-to-server: ToR Switches to Network Interface Cards (NIC) interconnects on a server.
    2. Switch-to-switch: within a spine switch and spine switch to Exit Leaf interconnects.

    Get product info

    What are the rate conversions for Taurus Smart Cable Modules?

    Taurus Smart Cable Modules can provide gearbox functionality at 200GbE from 4x50G to 8x25G.

    Download Product Brief

    What are the challenges in high speed switch-to-server interconnects?
    1. Rate mismatches between NIC and switch lead to wasted switch bandwidth.
    2. Traditional DAC interconnects are too short, thick and bulky to handle high speed ethernet signals between ToR switches and multiple racks.

    Read more

    How could a Taurus Smart Cable Module overcome design challenges of DAC interconnects?

    Smart Electrical Cables (SEC) support longer reach and thinner cabling while adding security and diagnostic capability.

    Read more

    How can Cloud Service Providers maximize TOR port speeds while still using previous generation servers?

    A Taurus Smart Cable Module with gearbox capability can be used on the NIC to resolve the per-lane rate disparity and reduce the end-to-end channel loss, thereby increasing the cable reach and/or reducing cable gauge.

    Get product info

    What is the typical channel loss for a DAC cable?

    In an average 3m 34 AWG copper wire, the typical channel loss is about 28dB at 12.9GHz, but might be as high as 36dB during worst cases.

    Read more

    What fleet management features are supported by Taurus Smart Cable Modules?

    Taurus Smart Cable Modules’ advanced fleet management capabilities include Full CMIS Features, Security, and Extensive Diagnostics (Cable Degradation Monitoring, Host-Cable Security, Multiple Loopback Modes, and Pattern Generation/Checking)

    Download Product Brief

    How can the Taurus Smart Cable Module adapt to different applications?

    Taurus offers various firmware and setting updates to adapt to diverse system topologies, including firmware flexibility, in-field upgrade support, health monitoring and debug, and CMIS extension.

    Download Product Brief

    What firmware settings can be updated in the Taurus SCM?

    A user can update module management functions, adaption algorithms, and full-module firmware even after the cable is deployed to the switch system.

    Download Product Brief

    How is a firmware update for Taurus SCM done?

    We offer complete CMIS Firmware update procedures in the product datasheet.

    What is the difference between PAM4 and NRZ?
    1. NRZ is a modulation technique that has two voltage levels to represent logic 0 and logic 1. PAM4 uses four voltage levels to represent four combinations of two bits logic – 11, 10, 01, and 00.
    2. PAM4 has the advantages of halving the Nyquist frequency and doubling the throughput for the same Baud rate. This alleviates the need for designers to have to invent infrastructure like silicon and cables that would go up to 50GHz bandwidth.
    3. The SNR loss of a PAM4 signal compared to an NRZ signal is ~9.5 dB.

    Download Intel App Note

    Have more questions about general topics, such as 800G Ethernet, ordering, quality, etc.? See the full list of FAQs.

    Three Things to Know about Astera Labs’ Taurus Ethernet Smart Cable Module Diagnostic Capabilities

    Today’s data centers are under pressure to keep up with the ever-increasing demand for data processing, transfer, and storage. This is especially true with the advent of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and the continued investments by more than 97% of organizations in big data and AI initiatives[1]. To keep this data moving and easily accessible,… Read More »

    Read More

    The Generative AI Impact: Accelerating the Need for Intelligent Connectivity Solutions

    We have entered the Age of Artificial Intelligence and Generative AI is developing at a rapid pace and becoming integral to our lives. According to Bank of America analysts, “just as the iPhone led to an explosion in the use of smartphones and phone apps, ChatGPT-like technology is revolutionizing AI”.[1] Generative AI is changing every… Read More »

    Read More

    3 Key Takeaways from the Optical Fiber Communications (OFC) Conference and Expo

    Earlier this month, Astera Labs participated in the largest-ever multi-vendor interoperability demo hosted by the Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) where more than 30 member companies came together to showcase next-generation control management, electrical, and optical technologies. At the show, Astera Labs demonstrated compliance of its Taurus Ethernet Smart Cable Modules™ (SCM) with the OIF’s Common… Read More »

    Read More

    Taurus Smart Cable Modules™: An Active + Smart Approach to 200/400/800GbE

    Today’s data center networks are primarily serviced by 25G/lane Ethernet technology; however, these networks are quickly moving to 50G and 100G/lane to allow hyperscalers to add additional servers and switches to their Clos Network topologies and support data-intensive workloads such as AI and Machine Learning. This rapid growth in Ethernet port speed is causing a new set of challenges for design complexity and serviceability of hyperscale architectures.

    Read More

    The Evolution of the In-Vehicle Network

    Interconnect technologies will play an important role in the overall connected car story to meet the needs of mass data transfer within the In-Vehicle Network. We have recently seen these types of challenges and a similar evolution in enterprise data centers, where intelligent systems running data-intensive workloads — such as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning — have drastically increased the overall design complexity.

    Read More

    Data Center Resource Disaggregation Drives Need for Cost-Effective 400/800-GbE Interconnects

    As new compute-intensive machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) workloads drive servers to adopt faster PCI Express® 5.0 Links, lower-latency cache-coherent protocols like Compute Express Link™ (CXL™), and a dizzying array of memory, storage, AI processor (AIP), smart NIC, FPGA, and GPU elements, so too is heterogeneous computing pushing the need for blazing-fast networks to interconnect the resources.

    Read More
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