At the 2025 OCP Global Summit, Marvell Technology introduced a new addition to its connectivity portfolio, a family of active copper cable (ACC) linear equalizers designed to extend the reach and efficiency of high-speed copper interconnects in data centres.
As artificial intelligence workloads scale up, server and switch bandwidth demands have grown rapidly, placing increasing pressure on the physical interconnects that link processing nodes. Copper continues to dominate short-reach, in-rack connections thanks to its low cost and straightforward integration, but traditional direct attach copper (DAC) cables are reaching their limits in high-density environments.
Addressing the Limits of Direct Attach Copper
Next-generation AI servers are now pushing for thinner cable designs to improve airflow and thermal performance. However, as cable gauges shrink, signal degradation becomes more pronounced, limiting how far DAC links can carry data at high speeds.
Marvell’s new analog ACC linear equalizers help to close that gap. By embedding a signal equalizer within the copper assembly, these devices extend the transmission reach of standard DAC cables while maintaining near-zero latency. Unlike digital ACC implementations, the analog approach keeps power consumption low and cost efficiency high, both critical factors for hyperscale environments.
Extending Copper’s Lifespan in the AI Era
Built on Marvell’s PAM4 signaling technology and experience with 100G and 200G per-lane analog designs, the new equalizers support copper interconnects up to 800G and 1.6T. They deliver higher gain than comparable solutions at the same cable gauge, giving system designers more flexibility when balancing power, cooling, and reach.
Together with its active electrical (AEC) and active optical (AOC) cable chipsets, Marvell now offers a complete range of interconnect solutions that cover every link from rack to rack. For engineers building AI servers and infrastructure at scale, this gives copper another chapter, combining familiar manufacturing advantages with the speed and reliability today’s data-intensive workloads demand.
The new ACC linear equalizers are currently sampling to customers.
To learn more, please visit www.marvell.com
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