TE Connectivity (TE)

CDFP Connectors, Cages & Cable Assemblies

Support PCIe Gen 5/6 with CDFP

The data centers are carrying a significant amount of the workload, stressing existing infrastructures and accelerating the need for upgrades. These drive the development of disaggregated and composable architectures that leverage pooled resources of compute, memory, storage and hardware acceleration. Our CDFP technology enables a x16 link width within a single port and will be scalable to support x8 and x4 channels. As the industry upgrades from PCIe Gen 5 to PCIe Gen 6, the connector footprint migrates from press-fit to surface mount technology (SMT). We also offer the passive copper cable which is typically used for current hyperscale / cloud applications.

CDFP Connector & Cable Assemblies for PCIe Gen 5 & PCIe Gen 6

Key Benefits

CDFP Interconnects for PCIe Gen 5/6

Standard and multi-source form factor recognized by multiple organizations

Selected as external PCIe cabling form factor for PCIe Gen 5 and 6 by PCI-SIG (Peripheral Component Interconnect Special Interest Group)
Defined in SNIA (Storage Networking Industry Association) under SFF-TA-1032 specification
Form factor adopted in robust ecosystem by hyperscale cloud providers and OEMs

Specifically tuned for PCIe

Form factors supporting x16, x8, and x4 high speed lane counts
85Ω nominal impedance
Offers the necessary sideband signals

Wide ranging portfolio supporting application flexibility

Supports PCIe gen 4, 5 and 6
Supports passive copper, active copper, and optical cabling solutions
Allows for press fit (PCIe Gen 5) and SMT (PCIe Gen 6) PCB connectors
Panel mount CDFP cable receptacle to enable over-the-board internal cabled connections
Fits onto standard device form factors (PCIe Add-In-Card, OCP NIC TSFF, SFF-TA-1034, etc.)
Flexibility in cable AWG to optimize signal integrity channel performance and mechanical cable routing

x16 - 120 Positions

x8 - 68 Positions

x4 - 44 Positions

x16 - 120 Positions

x8 - 68 Positions

x4 - 44 Positions

Target Applications

CDFP Interconnects for PCIe Gen 5/6

Pooled memory – JBOM (Just-a-Bunch-of-Memory)
Clustering GPUs and AI accelerators and connecting to them to CPU head nodes– JBOG (Just-a-Bunch-of-GPUs)
Storage arrays – JBOD (Just-a-Bunch-of-Disks) and JBOF (Just-a-Bunch-of-Flash)
CXL switching and fabrics
Disaggregated Network Interface Cards (NICs) – JBON (Just-a-Bunch-of-NICs)

White Paper

Disggregated and Composable Solutions for Data Centers

Gain insights into disaggregated and composable solutions with CDFP PCIe Gen 6 Interconnects for data centers.

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CDFP Connector & Cable Assemblies for 400 Gbps

Key Benefits and Features:

CDFP Interconnects support 400 Gbps

Transfers data at speeds up to 28 Gbps per lane, supporting current and next generation Ethernet and PCIe networking protocols
16 lanes of bi-directional data communication in one port and one cable assembly
Pre-assembled, one-piece press-fit connector and cage design offers one-step placement on the board
Double cable exit allows for increased assembly routing flexibility
Choose the thermal management and interface options best suited for your application
Custom copper cable assemblies available

Narrator: To help meet today’s growing demand for pluggable I/O solutions to deliver greater bandwidth and space efficiency, TE Connectivity introduces the CDFP connector & cage assembly, a 400 Gigabit per second Pluggable I/O for high speed applications such as data centers, high performance computing, as well as storage and networking equipment.

The CDFP Connector & Cage Assembly: 400 Gbps Pluggable I/O
High-Performance Pluggable Interconnects
• Pluggable form factor
• High port and bandwidth density

Narrator: The CDFP connector & cage assembly was developed as a result of the 2013 Multi Source Agreement to help meet industry needs for proprietary and standard 400 Gigabit per second transmission links with a broadly accepted pluggable form factor. With one of the highest port and bandwidth densities of any pluggable I/O currently in the market, TE’s CDFP connector & cage assembly is positioned to address the challenges of today’s increasing data traffic.

The CDFP Connector & Cage Assembly: 400 Gbps Pluggable I/O
High-Performance Pluggable Interconnects
• 400 Gbps per port
• 16 lanes of bi-directional data in one port
• Transfers data at up to 28 Gbps per lane

Narrator: Providing one of the highest data rates per port in the I/O market, at 400 Gigabits per second, 16 lanes of bi-directional data communication in one port, and data transfers at up to 28 Gigabits per second per lane, the CDFP connector & cage assembly supports both current and next generation Ethernet as well as additional networking protocols.

Timothy Badar, Timothy
Product Manager, TE Connectivity

PM: An industry leader in today’s I/O market, TE is offering the CDFP connector and cage assembly which has been developed with the flexibility to help address individual design requirements for faster speeds, optimal use of space and simplified connections. And by employing a pre-assembled, one-piece press-fit connector and cage design, the CDFP connector also simplifies assembly with one-step placement on the board.

The CDFP Connector And Cage Assembly, 400 Gbps Pluggable I/O
High-Performance Pluggable Interconnects
• Supports Current And Next Generation Proprietary Or Industry Standard Designs
• 13 ports on a line card for 5.2 Tbps of aggregate bandwidth.
• Supports both direct attach copper and active optical interfaces

PM: Achieving one of the highest port and bandwidth densities to support current and next generation industry standard designs, TE’s CDFP connector and cage assembly can achieve up to 13 ports on a line card for 5.2 Terabytes per second of aggregate bandwidth. CDFP is also able to support both direct attach copper and active optical interfaces that can be paired with TE’s Coolbit optical engines.

PM: The CDFP connector design also lets the end user choose the thermal management options that are best suited to their specific application. And EMI springs provide EMI containment and shield from external interference.

Product Features
• Connector and cage integrated assembly
• 16 x 25 Gbps electrical interface
• 0.75mm contact pitch, 120 contacts, dual row paddle card interface

PM: TE’s CDFP connector and cage assembly provides several key features: including, connector and cage integrated assembly, a 16 by 25 Gigabits per second electrical interface equaling 400 Gigabits per second per port, 0.75mm contact pitch, 120 contacts, dual row paddle card interface, and press-fit assembly of the connector to a host PCB.

Product Features
• Three different styles of cages
• Connectors are all keyed to prevent mis-inserts
• Supports both DAC and Optical Interfaces

PM: Additionally, the CDFP connector and cage assembly comes in 3 different styles of cages which are all keyed to prevent mis-inserts. Style 1, with a shorter cage body, supports direct attach copper and includes an EMI gasket. Styles 2 & 3, each with a longer cage body, both support direct attach copper and active optical modules while also including EMI springs. While styles 1 and 2 have the same electrical pin assignment with transmit and receive signals routed together on the same paddle card, style 3 pinout routes transmit signals to one paddle card and receive signals to the second paddle card.

CDFP Connector & Cage Assembly
400 Gbps Pluggable I/O
• Faster speeds
• Space efficient
• Simple connections

Narrator: With 16 channels of up to 28 Gigabit per second data rates for 400 Gigabit per second total bandwidth, TE’s CDFP connector & cage assembly enables one of the highest port and bandwidth densities of any pluggable I/O currently on the market.
• Faster speeds
• Efficient use of space
• Simple connections

The CDFP Connector & Cage Assembly from TE Connectivity.

Contact your TE representative or distributor today.

Narrator:

Want to learn more? Contact your TE representative or distributor today!

Coolbit, TE Connectivity, TE, TE connectivity (logo) and EVERY CONNECTION COUNTS are trademarks.

CDFP is part of the ZXP family of connectors and uses ZXP technology. ZXP is a trademark of Molex, LLC.

Narrator:

TE Connectivity

Every Connection Counts

One of the Highest Port and Bandwidth Densities

With 11 CDFP ports, a 1U switch can deliver 4.4 Terabits per second of bandwidth or more.
16 x 25 Gbps electrical interface = 400 Gbps per port
0.75mm pitch, 120 contacts, dual row paddle card interface

Supporting Current and Next Generation Designs

Fully compliant with the multi-source agreement (MSA), which specifies a 400 Gbps module, connector and cage that integrate 16 TX/RX channels.
MSA specifies CDFP connectors and cage assembly which support active optical cables, optical transceivers and copper cables.
The low power (8-10W) and very low power (4-5W) form factors defined use a common interface.
CDFP modules for data center interconnects support five-meter direct attach cables, 100-meter multimode fiber, 500-meter parallel single-mode fiber, and two kilometers of duplex, single-mode fiber.
TE provides CDFP Style 2 30AWG cable with 7.9mm OD for up to 2.0M cable reach