NVIDIA and Cisco Introduce New Pluggable Optics Form Factor to Scale AI Factories
nvidia ·
NVIDIA and Cisco have announced the Ultra-Dense Small Form Factor Pluggable (USFP), a new optical module designed to scale AI factory networks. This technology supports 400Gb/s-per-lane electrical signals, enabling total capacities up to 12.8Tb/s within an OSFP-sized footprint. USFP delivers four times the bandwidth density and 1.3 times the power efficiency compared to previous 200Gb/s-per-lane optics. By doubling both lane count and per-lane bandwidth, the form factor allows builders to connect more computing systems without adding extra network tiers. The design features a two-dimensional array connector that reduces contact wear and improves signal integrity for high-speed data transfer. To support this ecosystem, NVIDIA and Cisco are collaborating with hardware partners TE Connectivity and Amphenol. The companies plan to establish an open industry specification through a community-led multi-source project to ensure broad compatibility. This innovation aims to help operators manage increasing AI inference demands while reducing the networking share of overall power consumption.
nvidia