Nubis Extends Linear Paradigm from Optics to Copper with Breakthrough Nitro™ Linear Redriver Solution Enabling 4 Meter Reach for 200Gbps per Lane Copper Cables in AI Scale-Up Networks

• Breaks copper reach barrier in AI scale-up networks, increasing xPU count in scale-up domain by up to 10x with architectures spanning multiple racks
• Announces partnership with Amphenol to deliver family of Active Copper Cable (ACC) products based on the Nubis Nitro™ Linear Redriver
• Demonstrating 4-meter reach of copper cables from Amphenol with Nitro Linear Redriver and industry-leading 200Gbps SerDes at OFC in San Francisco’s Moscone Center from April 1-3, 2025

NEW PROVIDENCE, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nubis Communications, a leader in high-density optical interconnect solutions for AI, today introduced the Nubis Nitro™ Linear Redriver for extending the reach of copper connections to four meters. Explosive growth in the capabilities of Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) systems is demanding radical increases in connectivity between AI accelerators. As accelerator and switch IC ports speed up to 200Gbps per lane, traditional passive copper can no longer span the link distances beyond a single server rack and sometimes even within a rack. Nitro™ leverages the linear high-speed analog electronics technology developed by Nubis for its optical products to enable extremely low power, low latency and breakthrough reach for active copper interconnect solutions that enable continued scaling of AI/ML systems.

“Copper cable limitations are one of the biggest issues that datacenter architects are facing at 200Gbps per lane SerDes rates,” commented Dylan Patel of SemiAnalysis. “Scaling the reach of copper to over 3 meters using an extremely low power, low latency linear redriver would be an absolute game changer for the industry and a huge differentiator for whoever’s SerDes can enable that performance.”

“We expect over 600 million lanes of 200Gbps SerDes to ship per year by 2029. This is by far the fastest growth and largest total number of any speed grade in the history of networking. There is a strong desire to maintain copper for this generation due to its low- power, low latency and high reliability, and Nubis’ Nitro linear redriver will go a long way to maintaining the viability of copper interconnects at 200Gbps per lane,” commented Alan Weckel, 650 Group.

Leverages experience with Linear Optics

Nubis has established itself as a leader in very low-power ultra-high density optical interconnect solutions that avoid the use of power-hungry optical DSP chips. The linear paradigm embraces the features and capabilities included in advanced digital SerDes that incorporate sophisticated digital signal processing functionality. Applying its NubisSim™ tool developed for linear optics to also cover linear copper use cases has enabled Nubis to optimize the gain, frequency response and noise profile of the Nitro™ Linear Redriver to extend the reach of 200Gbps per lane copper channels.

Performance and Operational Benefits

Nubis’ breakthrough architecture for Nitro interacts seamlessly with host SerDes providing high operational simplicity, enabling end-users to maintain their established methodology for deploying passive copper cables while getting the reach advantage of Nitro-based ACC cables. Compared to alternatives, Nitro based solutions are 10x less power, 100x less latency and 10x less cost than DSP-based solutions, and 2x less power and 2x more reach than legacy analog equalizers.

“We have taken the expertise we gained from unretimed linear optics and applied the same principles to shorter active copper cables,” explained Dan Harding, CEO. “Our focus since founding Nubis has been to leverage the power of advanced digital SerDes and avoid retimers in order to substantially lower the power, cost and latency of interconnect inside the datacenter. Through our partnership with Amphenol, we were able to naturally expand our product portfolio into copper interconnect.”

Partnership with Amphenol for 1.6T OSFP Active Copper Cables

The first use case for Nitro will be in Active Copper Cables developed by Amphenol. The Nitro devices are housed in OSFP connectors that plug into system ports. An ACC with OSFP connectors using Nitro supports 8 lanes of 200Gbps in each direction while consuming only 2.5 Watts per connector, or 1.5 pJ/bit. Amphenol’s family of ACC products of various lengths and AWGs using Nitro are sampling to lead customers now.

“We provide the broadest portfolio of copper interconnect solutions in the industry and support all leading AI deployments. It is critical to the continued scaling of AI networks that copper interconnects keep scaling in reach while maintaining very low power and low latency,” said Sam Kocsis, Director of Standards and Technology, at Amphenol Communications Solutions. “We have worked closely with the Nubis team for years and appreciate their strong technical expertise and dedication to break into this space with an innovative solution that helps drive broader adoption of ACC in the market.”

Product description

The Nubis Nitro family includes the N2004 and N2008 ICs that support four and eight 200Gbps SerDes lanes respectively.

Availability

Chip samples on an EVB and a reference design are available from Nubis now. Active copper cable samples from Amphenol are sampling to lead customers now.

About Nubis

Nubis innovates across photonics, electronics, packaging, and manufacturing to create high density linear optics solutions for AI with significantly better scalability, density, and power efficiency than existing solutions.