“Specification for OSFP Octal Small Form Factor Pluggable Module” is currently under development by the OSFP MSA Group. OSFP is a “double-density” module and connector system similar to the QSFP+ system, but slightly wider and deeper to accommodate eight-lanes. The new module will be capable of 400 Gb/s transmission over 16 pairs of twinaxial conductors or optical fibers (8 x 50 Gb/s). The connector system enables modules consuming 12-15W of power to reside in a switch chassis with conventional airflow, which makes the system attractive for long range (i.e. 100 km) optical transceivers. The form factor allows 32 400 Gb/s ports per 1U to enable 12.8 Tb/s per switch slot. OSFP to QSFP+ adapters will support backward compatibility between form factors.
An effort is being made to adopt a common management interface to be referenced in MSAs developed by among the OSFP MSA Group, QSFP-DD MSA Group, and the Consortium for On-Board Optics (COBO).
The project objectives are as follows:
- High port density
- High thermal capability
- Accommodate full range of 400G optics
- Future roadmap to 800G (2x400G-PAM4)
- Enable 12.8 Tb/s in a 1U slot
Revision 1.0 of the OSFP MSA Specification, released on March 17, 2017, can be found here: http://osfpmsa.org/assets/pdf/OSFP_Module_Specification_Rev1.0.pdf