SAN FRANCISCO – Astera Labs unveiled the latest edition to its Taurus family of connectivity modules, with a compact "smart signal conditioner" capable of supporting speeds up to 3.2 Tb/s (3.2T).
The modules, which were revealed at AMD’s Advancing AI event in San Francisco, feature 16 lanes at 200 Gb/s (200G) and supports standard Ethernet and protocols including UALink and Ethernet for Scale-Up Networking (ESUN). The modules can be used to provide connectivity across dense backplane interconnects for graphic processing unit (GPU) scale-up fabrics or for front port extension between host switch application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or network interface cards (NICs) for scale-out applications.
The interesting addition to this latest module, however, is the ability to switch between onboard retimers and redrivers. Astera argues that retimer devices, which reform degraded high-speed digital signals, aren’t required for every workload or application. The latest Taurus line lets users simply remove the retimer from the board and switch it for a redriver, which solely boosts analog signals protocol-agnostically.
Astera argues that the "build and choose" option allows designers to deploy faster and better tailor their backplanes for their specific networking needs. Retimers, for example, have a reach of over 40 decibels (dB), whereas retimers only extend as far as 23 dB. But by extending further, retimers use far more power than their contemporary, with redrivers also benefiting from lower latency. The switching option thereby provides the flexibility to design for specific power consumption, reach, and latency needs.
“As 200G-per-lane signal conditioners become critical for on-board connectivity, customers need the freedom to optimize reach, power, and cost later in the design cycle,” Adit Narasimha, SVP and GM for Astera’s signal connectivity group, explained. “By expanding the Taurus family with footprint-compatible x16 smart retimers and smart redrivers, we are giving customers a more flexible path to scaling denser AI infrastructure with stronger economics.”
The device was on display at Advancing AI in a scale-out configuration for a server housing AMD Instinct GPUs. Robert Hormuth, AMD’s corporate VP for architecture and strategy, said its work with Astera “helps customers build efficient, adaptable rack-scale systems.
“The expanded Taurus family shows how standards-based design can preserve flexibility as infrastructure evolves,” Hormuth added.
The modules are currently being sampled, with Astera set to make further showcases set to take place at OCP’s Global Summit in October.