- QSFP-to-QSFP cables target InfiniBand dual data rate (DDR) and 10 GbE applications, with clear technology path towards quad data rate (QDR) - Demonstrating expanded active optical cable assembly portfolio at SC07 OTTAWA, Nov. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Zarlink Semiconductor Inc. (NYSE/TSX:ZL) will be demonstrating its expanded ZLynx active optical cable portfolio, including cable assembly devices with integrated quad small form-factor pluggable (QSFP) terminations, at this week's SC07 show. ZLynx products will be demonstrated with AMD (booth#757), Mellanox (booth#127), Myricom (booth#1729), QLogic (booth#261), Woven Systems (booth#2733). Zarlink's optical cable assembly products will also be part of OpenFabric Alliance's conference-wide InfiniBand and low-latency Ethernet fabric connection to the SCinet network. "Zarlink's expanded ZLynx product family now includes optical cable assemblies with traditional CX4 connectors as well as cables with integrated QSFP-to-QSFP terminations," said Dr. Marco Ghisoni, ZLynx product manager, Zarlink Optical Solutions. "Our new ZLynx cables combine market-proven optical cable assembly and QSFP expertise for today's InfiniBand DDR and XAUI 10 GigE applications, while supporting a clear technology path to meet future InfiniBand QDR requirements." ZLynx products provide installers and operators with unmatched reach, weight and flexibility advantages versus multi-strand copper cable assemblies. Zarlink's CX4 terminated solutions were the industry's first optical cables to be tested and accepted by the Infiniband Trade Association (IBTA) as being compliant with the InfiniBand architecture specification. ZLynx cable assemblies are capable of aggregated 20 Gbps transmission in both directions by combining four ultra-high capacity (5 Gbps/channel), independent fiber transmit and receive channels into a single connector. Standard CX4 terminated ZLynx optical cables allow ease-of-use with most equipment chassis, meaning performance advantages can be realized without any server, system or network hardware upgrades. The QSFP terminated ZLynx cable solution offers the end-user further improvements in signal integrity performance. "The AMD Opteron processor has long been a processor of choice in the High Performance Computing market, in large part due to its extreme scalability," said David Rich, Director of Marketing, HPC at AMD and President of the HyperTransport Consortium. "AMD sees customer value in an innovative active optical cable solution, like Zarlink's ZLynx products, to build scalable, large node-count clusters while helping reduce the total HPC solution cost in infrastructure, power and significantly improving cable management." "The growing demand for high bandwidth, low-latency HPC solutions is driving the need for 40 Gbps InfiniBand," said Thad Omura, Vice President of Product Marketing for Mellanox Technologies. "The demonstration of Mellanox ConnectX IB HCAs and Zarlink's ZLynx QSFP optical cable product showcases the evolution of the InfiniBand ecosystem towards QDR technology." "Myricom has been using Zarlink quad-fiber transceivers in our products since 2004, and has been very pleased with their performance and reliability," said Dr. Chuck Seitz, Myricom founder and CEO. "We expect Zarlink's cost-effective QSFP-terminated fiber cables to become popular both for 10 Gigabit Ethernet applications and for HPC clusters; thus, we are augmenting our product line with QSFP versions of Myri-10G NICs and switches." "Zarlink has been a valuable partner in QLogic's HPCtrack alliance program and we're pleased to demonstrate ZLynx active optical cables complementing our newly introduced high-performance InfiniBand DDR adapter family at SC07," said Lloyd Dickman, Chief Technology Officer for InfiniBand Products, QLogic Computer Systems Group. "The ZLynx family of optical cables with CX4 and QSFP terminations are essential in bridging current-generation InfiniBand solutions to new denser physical layer form-factors like QSFP." ZLynx at SCinet ZLynx cables will be included in the OpenFabric Alliance conference-wide InfiniBand and low-latency Ethernet fabrics. ZLynx cables will provide infrastructure InfiniBand links in the SCinet core InfiniBand network. SCinet is a very high-performance production quality and experimental network used to demonstrate products supporting supercomputing and grid computing applications. Availability and roadmap Zarlink's ZLynx cables with industry-standard CX4 connectors are now shipping in volume exclusively to lead customers, with general availability planned for early 2008. ZLynx cables with QSFP-to-QSFP terminations supporting InfiniBand DDR and XAUI 10 GigE are now available for sampling, with volume production planned for next year. For more on Zarlink's optical solutions, visit: http://www.zarlink.com/opticalsolutions/. About Zarlink Semiconductor For over 30 years, Zarlink Semiconductor has delivered semiconductor solutions that drive the capabilities of voice, enterprise, broadband and wireless communications. The Company's success is built on its technology strengths including voice and data networks, optoelectronics and ultra low-power communications. For more information, visit http://www.zarlink.com/. Shareholders and other individuals wishing to receive, free of charge, copies of the reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Regulatory Authorities, should visit the Company's web site at http://www.zarlink.com/ or contact Investor Relations. Certain statements in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks, uncertainties and assumptions include, among others, the following: our dependence on the successful development and market introduction of new products; our ability to successfully integrate businesses acquired in the future; our ability to operate profitably and generate positive cash flows in the future; our dependence on our foundry suppliers and third-party subcontractors; order cancellations and deferrals by our customers; and other factors referenced in our Annual Report on Form 20-F. Investors are encouraged to consider the risks detailed in this filing. Zarlink and the Zarlink Semiconductor logo are trademarks of Zarlink Semiconductor Inc. DATASOURCE: ZARLINK SEMICONDUCTOR CONTACT: Ed Goffin, Media Relations, (613) 270-7112, ; Mike McGinn, Investor Relations, (613) 270-7210,

Copyright