High-density HD4 interconnect system targets ultra-fast storage / SSD cluster application

Astute Electronics now supplies AirBorn’s high-density, high-reliability HD4 interconnect technology, which was designed to be an electrically-optimized and highly dense physical layer medium for the HyperTransport Technology Consortium’s industry-standard HyperShare scalable interconnect technology. Claimed to be the smallest footprint in the industry, HD4’s high bandwidth, minimized signal loss and mission-critical reliability suit it for demanding, multi-dimensional network fabrics and ultra-fast storage / SSD cluster applications used in next-generation data centre and cloud computing platforms. Although developed for the HyperShare platform, HD4 products also suits many other popular high-performance interconnect standards. The I/O link targets rack-in-cabinet-based systems that require higher bandwidth and density, providing up to six I/O ports on a 7.4 mm pitch along a low-pro?le PCIe. The eight di?erential pair (100 and 85O) twinax cable construction enables 4-channels with 2.5 to 10 Gb/s data rates per channel. The 1A contacts feature four points of contact for superior performance and reliability, and devices can be mated and demated up to 2500 times. An open-pin ?eld design allows for ?exibility in termination schemes (single-ended, di?erential pair, power and ground or both), and robust die-cast shells provide EMI shielding and simple termination, says the company. Commenting, Gary Evans, who heads up Astute’s newly-formed Franchise Connectors Division, said: “Airborn is renowned for its high quality, innovative interconnect solutions. The HD4 connectors enable very high density - more than competing solution - and are designed to be used in busy, unforgiving environments.”