With the rapid growth of AI, HPC, and hyperscale data centers, 800G Direct Attach Copper Cables (DAC) have emerged as a cost-effective, low-power solution for short-reach data transmission. Compared to optical modules (e.g., AOC), DAC eliminates photoelectric conversion, reducing power consumption to near-zero and cutting costs by over 50% for rack-scale interconnects (≤2m)
●Market Drivers: AI training and big data demand ultra-low latency <1μs and high bandwidth 800Gbps, positioning DAC as the optimal choice for GPU clusters and server interconnects.
●Technological Advances: From 100G/400G to 800G, DAC leverages multi-channel parallel transmission and signal integrity optimization, while supporting PCIe 5.0/6.0 for future scalability.
●Competitive Landscape: C-LIGHT challenge foreign dominance with self-developed 800G DAC solutions
Technical Insights of CLOP8-OP8CU-2
The C-LIGHT CLOP8-OP8CU-2 is an OSFP-based 800G DAC designed for AI clusters and dense data centers, featuring:
●High-Speed Performance
800G Full-Duplex: 16-pair copper enables 8×112Gbps PAM4 modulation, compatible with NVIDIA GPUs and switches.
2m Reach: Active Copper Cable (ACC) ensures signal stability with BER<1e-15.<>
●Industrial Reliability
Wide Temperature: Operates in commercial (0°C~70°C) and industrial (-40°C~85°C) environments.
Thermal Efficiency: OSFP Fin-top design with integrated heatsinks reduces thermal rise, achieving MTBF >200,000 hours.
●Compatibility & Flexibility
Backward Compatibility: Supports 400G/200G rates for legacy networks.
Plug-and-Play: Zero-configuration deployment simplifies operations
Applications
●AI Data Centers
Connects NVIDIA DGX/HGX systems for large-scale GPU clusters, reducing optical module costs.
●High-Performance Computing (HPC)
Enables lossless data transfer between servers and storage nodes with latency<0.5μs.<>
●Cloud Networking
Spine-Leaf architecture backbone for high-density, energy-efficient networks
Advantages vs. Optical Modules
| Metric | AOC | CLOP8-OP8CU-2 DAC |
| Cost | High (optic chips) | Low (passive) |
| Power | 440mW/port | <10mw> |
| Distance | Up to 100m (MMF) | ≤5m (optimized) |
| Deployment | Fiber management | Plug-and-play |
Market Trends & Future
●Green Data Centers: DAC’s low power supports PUE<1.2 targets.="">
●Localization: DAC manufacturers expect 25% CAGR (2024-2027)
●Standardization: OSFP MSA and IEEE 802.3ck enhance ecosystem compatibility
