Initiated by Tencent and Spectra7, the consortium brings together a complementary mix of partners spanning the entire supply chain for data centers. This end-to-end collaboration aims to deliver an optimal solution by soliciting input from all members.

The consortium aims to address the rising cost and power of optical interconnects and the decreasing reach of passive copper as data rates throughout the data center increase.  Initial focus will be on 25G Ethernet connections between servers and switches. The consortium is developing a specification for these cables that is expected to be released in Q4 of this year. Subsequent specifications will be developed for 50G, 100G, 400G and 800G Ethernet as well as other evolving protocols. The specifications will cover both NRZ signaling as well as PAM4 signaling.