The Quad Small Form Factor Pluggable Double Density (QSFP-DD) Multi-Source Agreement (MSA) group announces the success of their mechanical plug fest. In total, 15 of the 64 companies came together for a full day of testing to validate the compatibility and interoperation between member designs.

The areas of focus for this event included testing the electrical, latching and mechanical designs all of which address the industry need for a high-density, high-speed networking solution. A key value proposition of QSFP-DD form factor is the backwards compatibility with the widely adopted QSFP28.

As expected, the event confirmed that the maturity of design experience resulted in a highly successful outcome. The private Plug Fest was hosted by MSA member, Cisco at their headquarters in San Jose, Calif.

Established in March 2016, the QSFP-DD MSA group accepted the challenge to meet the market demand for a next generation high-density, high-speed pluggable backwards compatible module form factor. The MSA group has succeeded in releasing a 3.0 Hardware specification with broad market support that overcomes the technical challenges of specifying a QSFP28 compatible double-density interface.

The QSFP-DD specification defines mechanical, electrical, and thermal management requirements to enable multi-vendor interoperability.

"Bringing together the expertise of our MSA companies to test the interoperability of multiple vendors' modules, connectors, cages and DAC cables assures a robust ecosystem," said Scott Sommers, founding member and MSA co-chair. "We are committed to providing next-generation designs that evolve with the changing technology landscape.''

"Through this event, the QSFP-DD MSA have provided further validation to the industry that this form factor is ready for broad industry adoption," said Mark Nowell, distinguished engineer, founding member and MSA co-chair. "This builds on the previous thermal and high-speed signal integrity validation that has been previously shared by the MSA."

It is anticipated that many MSA members will be demonstrating QSFP-DD products at the upcoming European Conference on Optical Communication, Sept. 23-27 in Rome, Italy.

For more information on the QSFP-DD MSA please visit www.qsfp-dd.com.