What form factors are available in this AOC family?
The family includes both OSFP and QSFP‑DD form factors. The OSFP variant is identified by part number LOP800‑AOC‑xxx and the QSFP‑DD variant by LQD800‑AOC‑xxx. Selection depends on the switch or NIC cage type.

What is the maximum supported distance, and on which fibre type?
The AOC supports distances from 3m up to 100m. Full reach is achieved over OM4 multimode fibre at 850nm wavelength. OM3 fibre may support shorter distances; link budget should be recalculated accordingly.

Which connector does the AOC use?
All variants use an MPO‑16 connector, carrying 8 transmit and 8 receive fibres to deliver the 800G aggregate bandwidth.

Can I use this AOC with a switch from Cisco or Arista?
The AOC is built on industry‑standard electrical and optical interfaces. As with any third‑party interconnect, compatibility should be verified against the switch vendor’s transceiver compatibility matrix and firmware requirements. The MPO‑16 connector is standard, but host side FEC and DSP settings may need alignment.

What is the difference between OSFP and QSFP‑DD AOCs in terms of performance?
Performance is equivalent – both deliver 8x106.25Gbps lanes to reach 800G, use 850nm VCSELs, and support the same 3–100m range. The only difference is the mechanical form factor and the cage they plug into.

Is the AOC hot‑swappable?
Yes, the AOC is designed for hot insertion and removal, provided the host system supports hot‑swap for that port.

Do I need separate optical transceivers or fibre cleaning with this AOC?
No. The active optical cable integrates the transceivers, fibre, and connectors permanently. This eliminates the need for optical cleaning, reduces contamination risk, and simplifies installation.

How can I identify the correct length replacement for an existing AOC?
The part number suffix (-xxx) indicates the length in metres. Refer to the cable marking or the original order part number. The family summary does not specify power consumption or temperature range; the supplied data indicates a commercial temperature grade (C).

Direct‑attached short‑reach server‑to‑switch links:
Ideal for connecting 800G NICs (OSFP or QSFP‑DD) to top‑of‑rack switches within the same rack or across adjacent racks.

AI/ML training cluster interconnects:
Supports high‑bandwidth, low‑latency GPU‑to‑GPU and GPU‑to‑switch connections, reducing the need for separate transceivers.

High‑density leaf‑spine fabrics:
Simplifies cabling in spine‑leaf architectures where space and power are at a premium; eliminates active optics and their associated power and cooling.

Migration from 400G AOC:
Provides a three‑fold bandwidth increase while maintaining the same footprint; suitable for brownfield upgrades in multimode fibre infrastructures.

Test and measurement environments:
Offers a cost‑effective, repeatable 800G electrical‑optical interface for lab validation, avoiding optical connector contamination.

The supplied data does not specify power dissipation; actual power consumption depends on cable length and host equalisation. Low‑power operation is expected due to VCSEL technology.

Network architects should evaluate host switch DSP capabilities and port FEC requirements before large‑scale deployment.

AI Training Clusters – High‑Density GPU Interconnect
Connecting 800G‑capable GPUs within a single rack or adjacent racks. The integrated cable design reduces airflow obstruction and cable bulk compared to DACs at longer lengths.

Enterprise Data Centre – Server‑to‑ToR Switch
Standardising on 800G OSFP AOC for new rack deployments improves cable management and allows future‑proofing as server bandwidth demands grow.

Cloud Data Centre – Leaf‑Spine Fabric
Deploying 800G AOC between leaf and spine switches simplifies network design; the active termination compensates for signal integrity over longer multi‑rack distances.

High‑Performance Computing – Cluster Node Interconnect
Low‑latency, high‑throughput links between compute nodes in weather simulation, genome sequencing, or financial modelling clusters.

Storage Area Network – High‑Bandwidth Links
Connecting 800G storage controllers and NVMe‑over‑Fabrics targets within a SAN, ensuring consistent throughput without optical transceiver variability.

Test Lab & Certification Environments
Using 800G AOC as a repeatable, known‑good reference for system validation, eliminating the variables of separate optical modules and fibre connectors.