Point2 aims to cut data center power consumption through smart cabling

The P1B121 is suitable for a variety of data center configurations, including intra-rack and adjacent-rack installations such as switch-to-server top-rack connections, inter-rack connections, and inter-accelerator compute fabric connections. .

The 112G PAM4 smart retimer requires only 3.0W of power consumption per chip, that is, only 6W per cable. That’s half the 25W of traditional network cables. This reduces cable power and cooling requirements while delivering an impressive 3 ns chip latency, which is 20 times lower than currently available DSP-based PAM4 retimers.

This can add up, Kuo notes, since there can be anywhere from 30 to 150 cables in a rack. Now multiply the power of each cable by 12 watts instead of 25 watts and you’ll get significant savings.

There are also weight savings. To compensate for signal loss, some cable manufacturers simply use more copper, making the cables thicker. The presence of retimer chips allows you to extend the cable connection without the need for thicker copper wiring.

The Point2 retimer supports current speeds of 400 Gbps, as well as future 800 Gbps and 1.6 TB products coming to market, Kuo said. Point2’s customers are currently developing cables and will deliver them in the first half of 2025, he added.