6 segments · 50 companies · as of Sep 18, 2026
Copper & Electrical Links
Connectors, cables and signal-conditioning chips inside AI racks
Where it sits
Fed by: Chip ManufacturingFeeds: Servers & Systems
Copper carries short electrical links within accelerator trays and racks. Precision connectors, low-skew twinax and retimer chips preserve signal quality as lane rates rise; active cables extend reach before optical conversion becomes necessary.
Why now
224G lanes and PCIe Gen6 are changing cable loss budgets, connector density and test requirements. NVL72-class racks sustain large copper content, while new midplane and near-chip designs change the mix of cartridges, connectors and active conditioning.
Connectors & cabled backplanes
Near-chip connectors, backplanes and cable cartridges move dense electrical lanes between boards and trays. Signal loss, mating reliability, routing space and manufacturable 224G geometries determine design-in success.
OverPass cabled backplanes and PaladinHD2/ExaMAX2 connectors route 224G lanes around lossy PCB traces
leaderAdrenaLINE Slingshot 224G cabled backplanes and near-chip connectors serve dense AI rack interconnects
leaderImpress co-packaged copper and BiPass cable systems provide near-ASIC 224G connectivity
majorIntrepid NEXUS backplanes and KOOLIO CPC connectors support 224G links, with 448G designs in development
major224G CPC interconnects and high-speed connector/cage systems target AI servers and switches
majorNear Stack ANS50001 cable connectors meet PCIe Gen6 and SFF-TA-1026 for high-density server wiring
majorOSFP-XD connector/cage and 224G cable solutions connect next-generation switches, servers and storage
majorSi-Fly HD near-chip and backplane systems use low-skew twinax for dense 224G PAM4 interconnects
majorIT14 Mirror Mezz connectors provide 112G PAM4, 688 contacts and OAM-specified high-density board interfaces
nicheDevelops 112G/224G connectors for communication equipment; specific hyperscaler rack allocations are undisclosed
nicheCN176 and CN214 1.6T Ethernet connector families provide high-speed optical-module host interfaces
nicheCABLINE-CA IIEQ PLUS 112G compact active-copper connector design targets server and switch internals
nicheCapella 224G and Impel 224 backplane connectors and cable assemblies address Chinese AI compute systems
challenger112G data-center connector components ship at scale; 224G air-cooled products entered volume production
challenger224G cable modules undergo customer testing alongside MCIO and DAC/ACC/AEC server interconnect products
challengerVia Suzhou Ruichuang, PCIe MCIO and DA-CEM internal cable interconnects have entered small-batch delivery
challengerMINISAS, Oculink and SlimSAS interfaces extend into server connectors and AI-oriented high-speed cable R&D
emergingPCIe Gen5/Gen6 MCIO and internal server cable assemblies provide short electrical links around dense compute boards
niche
Sources: amphenol-cs.com, te.com, molex.com, samtec.com, lotes.cc, wanshih.com
DAC & rack cable assemblies
Finished passive copper assemblies connect nearby switches, adapters and accelerator trays. Cable length, bend radius and validated host compatibility decide whether a link can avoid active silicon or optical conversion.
OSFP DACs, internal cable assemblies and OverPass backplane cables connect high-density AI rack electronics
leaderMadison-based cable technology and high-speed assemblies connect servers, switches and rack backplanes
majorBiPass and external copper assemblies bypass PCB loss for 112G/224G server and switch connections
majorLinkX qualified passive copper cables connect short-reach Ethernet and InfiniBand links in AI clusters
majorLuxlink electrical assemblies combine Optamax twinax with connector and backplane products
majorHigh-speed internal and external copper cable assemblies complement its 224G connector portfolio
major1.6T OSFP DACs and high-speed server cable assemblies support 224G-per-lane electrical links
majorPassive OSFP/QSFP breakout cables cover 800G; OSFP-XD assemblies extend the portfolio to 1.6T
challengerDAC-OSFP 800G and QSFP-DD 800G passive assemblies connect nearby switches and servers over short copper runs
challengerOSFP-to-OSFP 800G passive DAC assemblies complement its twinax cable manufacturing
challengerQSFP112 400G passive DACs use four 112G lanes for short data-center switch and server connections
niche
Sources: amphenol-cs.com, volex.com, bizlinktech.com, jpcco.com, zhaolong.com.cn, lp.hewtech.co.jp
Active cables & conditioning silicon
DSP retiming and analog equalization extend electrical reach between racks and trays. Cable vendors combine these chips with connectors and twinax; power, latency and stable links differentiate competing AEC and ACC designs.
ZeroFlap/HiWire AECs and cable DSPs provide short-reach AI fabric links; Rebellions RebelPOD is a named deployment
leaderTaurus Ethernet Smart Cable Modules and signal conditioners extend electrical reach in AI racks
majorAlaska A 1.6T PAM4 DSP uses eight 200G lanes and targets copper AEC reach beyond three meters
major200G-per-lane Ethernet retimer and AEC silicon complement Tomahawk-based AI fabric platforms
majorAnnapurna 224G retimers target 1.6T/3.2T AECs and board-level scale-up copper connectivity
challengerCopperEdge analog redrivers and equalizers extend 200G-per-lane ACC reach with sub-100ps latency
major200G-per-lane linear equalizers support low-power 1.6T ACC links and cabled backplanes
majorUltraWire 56G/112G smart retimers enable 400G/800G AECs; e-Tube RF links remain a separate development path
challengerAcquired Nubis copper interconnect technology targets low-power active cables; commercial scale is not disclosed
emergingPCIe 6.x/CXL 3.x AEC solution extends retimed copper connectivity for next-generation server systems
challengerEverProX 1.6T OSFP active electrical cables provide retimed copper links alongside its optical connectivity products
challengerVia controlled Suzhou Ruichuang, 400G/800G AECs are entering deliveries; 1.6T assemblies remain in sampling
emerging
Sources: credosemi.com, en.broadex-tech.com, dataclouds.cninfo.com.cn, semtech.com, marvell.com, asteralabs.com
PCIe/CXL retimers & switches
PCIe and CXL links connect accelerators, CPUs, memory and storage within servers and racks. Gen6 moves to PAM4 signaling, increasing demand for retimers, redrivers and fabric switches with robust diagnostics.
Aries PCIe 6 retimers and Scorpio P-Series Gen6 switches ship in volume; both passed PCI-SIG 6.x compliance
leaderPEX PCIe Gen6 switches and retimers provide high-lane-count connectivity within AI servers and racks
leaderSwitchtec switches and XpressConnect PCIe Gen6/CXL 3.x retimers extend 64 GT/s server links
majorAcquired XConn PCIe/CXL switches extend its scale-up portfolio alongside Structera memory-connectivity devices
challengerM88RT61632 Gen6 x16 retimer supports PCIe 6.x/CXL 3.x at 64 GT/s for accelerators and servers
challengerPS8936 Gen5 retimers and PS859x Gen6 redrivers condition PCIe links; Gen6 redrivers are not retimers
nicheToucan Gen6x16 retimer achieved PCI-SIG 6.x compliance at 64 GT/s in August 2026
challengerPS7201/7202 Gen5 retimers ship; PS7261 Gen6/CXL 3.0 x16 retimer is at customer-sample stage
challengerRegli PCIe Gen5/CXL 2.0 retimers provide low-latency signal recovery for extended server links
nichePCIe 6.4/CXL 3.2 Fusion Switch is available as pre-release chips for pooled AI compute and memory fabrics
emerging
Sources: asteralabs.com, investor.marvell.com, panmnesia.com, kandou.com, phison.com, microchip.com
Twinax & high-speed bulk cable
Low-skew conductor pairs, dielectric materials and shielding preserve signal integrity before cable assembly. Production consistency and flexible routing become harder at 224G; 448G products are largely in validation.
Low-loss twinax underpins OverPass cable backplanes and 224G external and near-chip assemblies
leaderEye Speed hyper-low-skew twinax targets 224G PAM4 with a specified 1.75 ps/m maximum intra-pair skew
majorMadison Cable twinax and high-speed wire support finished electrical interconnect and backplane assemblies
majorOptamax 224G twinax is in production; 448G cable designs remain in customer pre-research
majorParaLink 60s 224G bulk cable feeds 1.6T DAC/AEC assemblies and high-density data-center wiring
majorLTK high-speed copper cable feeds AI interconnects; 448G-per-lane samples are undergoing customer validation
majorDAC56G/112G/224G and PCIe5/6/7 cable families address internal and external AI server wiring
challenger224G cable reached small-batch supply after customer validation; 1.6T assemblies remain in qualification
challengerX112/X224 bulk cable and PCIe5/6 interconnect products serve data-center electrical links
challengerHigh-frequency copper data cable supplies server supply chains; no direct Nvidia allocation is assumed
challengerShielded differential twinax and low-skew high-frequency cable feed internal server and passive DAC assemblies
niche
Sources: samtec.com, telecom-networking.bizlinktech.com, en.luxshare-tech.com, static.cninfo.com.cn, hewtech.co.jp
SerDes & interface IP
Serial interfaces embedded in chips set the electrical lane rate and link margin. Foundry-qualified PHY IP and chiplets let custom accelerators and networking ASICs connect to cables, retimers and optical engines.
Peregrine 112G and Condor 224G-class SerDes integrate high-speed lanes into Tomahawk 6 switch ASICs
leaderLong-reach 112G/200G PAM4 SerDes underpin custom AI silicon, Teralynx switches and cable DSPs
majorHigh-speed SerDes IP and chiplets complement its electrical and optical connectivity products
majorVia Alphawave, supplies 224G XLR SerDes IP, high-speed I/O chiplets and PAM4 connectivity technology
challenger224G PHY and PCIe/UALink interface IP provide electrical links for custom AI and networking chips
majorHigh-speed SerDes and UALink controller/PHY IP implement 100G/200G lanes in AI interconnect silicon
majorPCIe 6 retimer-controller and CXL digital IP support customer chip designs; SerDes PHY assets were sold to Cadence
majorLicenses silicon-proven 112G long-reach SerDes IP and integrates it into TSMC-based custom networking ASICs
nicheLicenses PCIe Gen5 PHY IP for custom SoCs and develops newer PCIe interfaces; no discrete retimer product is claimed
nicheDSP-based 112G SerDes and PCIe Gen6 IP target 7/6nm SoCs and chiplets; customer volume remains undisclosed
emerging
Sources: rambus.com, guc-asic.com, m31tech.com, etopus.com, qualcomm.com
Glossary
- DAC
- Direct-attach copper cable, a short electrical connection without active signal-regeneration chips.
- AEC / ACC
- Active electrical cables use retiming DSPs; active copper cables may instead use lower-power analog equalization.
- Retimer
- A chip that reconstructs a digital signal and its clock so it can travel farther without unacceptable errors.
- Twinax
- A shielded pair of conductors with controlled impedance, used for high-speed differential electrical links.
- CXL
- Compute Express Link adds memory and cache-coherent communication over the PCIe electrical interface.
- CPC
- Co-packaged copper brings a cable connection close to or onto the chip package to avoid lossy board traces.
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