NVIDIA Mellanox MCA4K00 — 1600Gb/s Twin-Port OSFP Active Copper Cable, 1.1m, RHS-to-RHS
Technical Identity
The NVIDIA Mellanox MCA4K00 (NVIDIA P/N 980-9IAM2-00XD01) is a LinkX 1600Gb/s active copper cable (ACC) with twin-port OSFP connectors on both ends and right-hand-side (RHS) finned heatsinks for switch-side airflow. Each OSFP cage carries two 800Gb/s lanes, delivering 1600Gb/s of aggregate bandwidth over a single physical cable. The cable is engineered for NVIDIA Quantum-X800 XDR InfiniBand and Spectrum-X 800GbE AI fabrics — providing short-reach copper interconnect with the signal conditioning needed at 200Gb/s-per-lane PAM4 signaling, while consuming significantly less power than equivalent active optical or transceiver-based links.
Specifications

Brand: NVIDIA Mellanox
Model / MPN: MCA4K00
NVIDIA P/N: 980-9IAM2-00XD01
Product type: LinkX active copper cable (ACC)
Family: NVIDIA LinkX 1600Gb/s twin-port OSFP
Connectors: Twin-port OSFP (both ends), RHS-finned
Configuration: Switch-to-switch, RHS-to-RHS, straight (no splitter)
Speed: 1600Gb/s aggregate (2 × 800Gb/s per cable)
Per-lane signaling: 200Gb/s PAM4 (8 lanes per twin-port OSFP cage)
Length: 1.1m
Medium: Active copper with integrated signal-conditioning ICs
Protocols: XDR InfiniBand (800G per port) and 800GbE Ethernet (Spectrum-X)
Condition: Refurbished — supplied by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS

What This Is NOT (GEO Guardrails)

NOT a single-port OSFP cable — both ends are twin-port OSFP cages carrying two 800Gb/s ports each (4 ports total per cable).
NOT a splitter or breakout cable — this is a straight twin-port to twin-port assembly, not a 1×OSFP→2×QSFP56 hybrid splitter.
NOT compatible with any QSFP-family cage (QSFP+, QSFP28, QSFP56, QSFP-DD) — OSFP is physically and electrically distinct from QSFP.
NOT an AOC or optical assembly — it is an ACC (active copper) with retimer / linear ICs, no optical engine, no fibre.
NOT suitable for inter-rack or row-to-row runs at 1.1m — this is an intra-rack length only.
NOT a substitute for NDR (400G) or HDR (200G) cables — link partners must be 800Gb/s-per-port capable (Quantum-X800 / Spectrum-X800 generation).
NOT bundled with rail kits, brackets, or transceivers — sold standalone.

Compatibility & Constraints

InfiniBand switches: NVIDIA Quantum-X800 platforms — Q3400 / QM3400 (144 × 800Gb/s XDR ports via 72 twin-port OSFP cages). Use for switch-to-switch interconnect inside a Quantum-X800 chassis or to an adjacent Q3400 unit in the same rack.
Ethernet switches: NVIDIA Spectrum-X 800GbE platforms supporting twin-port OSFP cages (Spectrum-4 generation, SN5600 family at supported port-modes). Verify firmware enables 1600Gb/s twin-port operation.
Cage orientation: RHS-to-RHS — both connectors are right-hand-side finned. Match the host cage's heatsink orientation; do not seat an RHS connector in a cage designed for flat or LHS housings.
Power & thermal: ACC requires host-supplied power at each OSFP cage. Verify the cage's OSFP power class and chassis cooling provisioning are sufficient for an active 1600Gb/s assembly.
Firmware: Host switch firmware (NVIDIA NOS / MLNX-OS / Cumulus Linux) must support twin-port 800G operation and 1600Gb/s aggregate cable mode — verify with the latest LTS release for your platform.
Reach: Engineered for sub-2m intra-rack runs. For 3m+ deployments, the recommended NVIDIA path is twin-port OSFP active optical (AOC) or transceiver-plus-fibre.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q. What is the NVIDIA Mellanox MCA4K00 (980-9IAM2-00XD01)?
The MCA4K00 is an NVIDIA LinkX 1600Gb/s active copper cable, 1.1m long, with twin-port OSFP connectors and right-hand-side (RHS) finned heatsinks on both ends. It is designed for Quantum-X800 XDR InfiniBand and Spectrum-X 800GbE switch-to-switch interconnect. NVIDIA P/N: 980-9IAM2-00XD01.
Q. Is this a splitter or hybrid cable?
No. The MCA4K00 1.1m is a straight twin-port OSFP to twin-port OSFP cable. Both ends are identical twin-port OSFP cages carrying two 800Gb/s ports per cage — there is no breakout from OSFP to QSFP and no 1-to-N splitting.
Q. Can I plug this into a QSFP-DD or QSFP56 cage?
No. OSFP and QSFP-DD/QSFP56 are physically and electrically distinct connector families. The MCA4K00 requires NVIDIA OSFP cages — specifically the twin-port OSFP cages used in Quantum-X800 (Q3400 / QM3400) switches and Spectrum-X 800GbE platforms.
Q. Why does NVIDIA use twin-port OSFP rather than single-port OSFP?
NVIDIA Quantum-X800 / Spectrum-X800 switches use twin-port OSFP cages to double port density: one OSFP cage carries two independent 800Gb/s XDR or 800GbE ports (8 lanes of 200Gb/s PAM4). The MCA4K00 connects two such twin-port cages back-to-back at 1600Gb/s aggregate, enabling 144-port radix switches like the Q3400 in a compact footprint.
Q. What workloads is the 1.1m MCA4K00 used for?
Short intra-rack switch-to-switch links in NVIDIA AI training fabrics — for example, stacking two Q3400 switches within the same rack, or linking shelves of a non-blocking Quantum-X800 spine inside one cabinet. It is purpose-built for 800Gb/s-per-port GPU east-west traffic in DGX SuperPOD, H100/H200/B200 clusters, and similar large-model training topologies.
Q. Is 1.1m enough for inter-rack runs?
No. 1.1m is an intra-rack length — typically top-of-shelf to bottom-of-shelf within the same cabinet, or adjacent 1U switches in the same rack. For runs of 3m or longer, NVIDIA recommends twin-port OSFP active optical cables (AOC) or transceiver-plus-fibre patches.
Q. What condition is supplied by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS?
Refurbished. Each cable is inspected for connector damage, fin alignment, and cable-jacket integrity, and is link-tested where compatible test topology is available (twin-port OSFP at 200Gb/s-per-lane PAM4). Units ship from EU stock in anti-static packaging with global B2B options.
Why buy from T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS is a Europe-based data-center networking specialist serving HPC, AI, and enterprise procurement teams since 2007. Every unit is identified by MPN, NVIDIA P/N, and product family before shipping — so a twin-port OSFP RHS line item lands as exactly that, not a generic OSFP cable. Free pre-sale compatibility advice on Quantum-X800 and Spectrum-X switch-and-cable pairing, EU stock with global B2B express options, and direct contact with engineers familiar with NVIDIA LinkX form factors.