QSFP14 connector comparison

Author：Irene / time：2020-08-24 / The number of clicks：748

Starting with XFP connector, then SFP and SFP+, we were able to from 3G to 4G high-speed Internet. The Internet is no longer just a part of our daily lives; it is important for the future of society and business models. To evolve from 4G to 5G, there is a need to increase the number of base stations and receivers, enabling products like QSFP, QSFP+, QSFP14, QSFP28 light-based-receiver connectors, etc. to enter the market. There are different numbers representing different specs. QSFP14 is the next generation QSFP connector, which mainly supports FDR wireless bandwidth. QSFP28 is the latest version of the QSFP connector; it is able to load four 28Gbps tunnels simultaneously and support 100Gbps wired Internet and FDR wireless bandwidth.

Below is a comparison of different QSFP connectors.

SPECS                               QSFP     QSFP+       QSFP14     QSFP28
Max. bandwidth                  4Gbps     40 Gbps     56 Gbps     100 Gbps
Tunnel amount                    4                4                     4                   4
Tunnel bandwidth               1 Gbps     10 Gbps     14 Gbps     28 Gbps
Supports Wired Internet    Yes             Yes              No              Yes
Supports Optical Fiber     Yes              Yes              No              No
Supports FDR                   Yes               Yes             Yes             Yes

Based on the table above, the transfer speed and density of QSFP28 are 25 times higher than QSFP. With the QSFP connector’s wider bandwidth, we understand that industries are looking to transfer greater amount of data within a shorter period of time. The scale volume is the first factor to be considered by companies that want to improve their connector products in order to increase efficiency.
 
So, is there a major change in QSFP connectors in terms of appearance? As far as we know based on the information from a connector company, the sizes of SFP and QSFP connectors are rather similar. Changes are mainly focused on improving data transfer speed and time. Future prospects like remote surgery, auto-coffee robot, VR experience, etc. require light receiver support. Also, as the need for Internet skyrockets, connector companies are positive that more connectors will be launched in the market to meet different requirements like speed, data amount and connecting point. This will result in stable growth and demand as well as a promising future.