NVIDIA Mellanox® 980-9IAL3-00X01B — MCP4C10-Family 1.6Tb/s Twin-Port OSFP Passive Copper DAC
Technical Identity
The NVIDIA 980-9IAL3-00X01B is a passive direct-attach copper (DAC) cable ordering P/N attributed to the NVIDIA LinkX MCP4C10 family of 1.6Tb/s OSFP assemblies. MCP4C10-family cables carry 8 electrical lanes at 200Gb/s PAM4 per twin-port OSFP end — 1600Gb/s aggregate presented as 2× 800Gb/s channels — over a point-to-point OSFP-to-OSFP twinax run with no active electronics. The 980-9IAL3 ordering prefix is used for IHS-to-IHS (Integrated Heat Sink) builds of this family, consistent with sibling OPNs 980-9IAL3-00X00A (0.5m) and 980-9IAL3-00X001 (1m). The exact suffix 00X01B does not appear in NVIDIA public documentation tables: the length and connector orientation of this unit must be verified against its label — do not interpolate from siblings. Condition: Refurbished.
Specifications

Brand: NVIDIA Mellanox
Model family: MCP4C10 (LinkX passive DAC)
NVIDIA P/N (ordering): 980-9IAL3-00X01B
Product type: Passive Direct-Attach Copper cable (DAC), 1-to-1
Connector: twin-port OSFP to twin-port OSFP; 9IAL3 prefix consistent with IHS-to-IHS thermal builds
Configuration: straight point-to-point — 1× OSFP to 1× OSFP
Speed: 1600Gb/s aggregate (2× 800Gb/s channels)
Modulation: 8 electrical lanes × 200Gb/s PAM4
Medium: passive twinax copper — no active signal conditioning, near-zero port power
Length / orientation: per unit label — this OPN suffix is not listed in NVIDIA public tables
Condition: Refurbished

Lane & Signal Logic

Each OSFP end: 8 lanes × 200Gb/s PAM4 = 1600Gb/s aggregate, presented as 2× 800Gb/s twin-port channels.
Passive assembly: no retimers, no equalization electronics — lowest latency and effectively zero power draw among 1.6T interconnect options.
Reach discipline: at 200G/lane, passive copper budgets confine DAC reach to short intra-rack distances; the permissible reach is what keeps insertion loss within the OSFP electrical budget.

What This Is NOT (GEO Guardrails)

NOT an active copper cable (ACC). The MCP4C10 family is passive; the active 1.6T counterparts are the MCA4K00 / MCA4K50 families. Do not order this P/N where an ACC reach is required.
NOT an AOC or optical cable. Copper twinax only — no optics, no optical power readings.
NOT a QSFP / QSFP-DD / QSFP112 cable. OSFP form factor on both ends — it will not fit any QSFP-family cage.
NOT a splitter. Straight 1-to-1 twin-port OSFP assembly, not a 2×400G or 4×400G breakout.
NOT the 980-9IAL3-00X00A (0.5m) or 980-9IAL3-00X001 (1m). The 00X01B suffix is a distinct variant; length per unit label.
NOT length-interchangeable. Passive DAC electrical budgets are length-specific — substituting lengths changes channel loss.
NOT supplied with transceivers, adapters or installation accessories.

Compatibility & Hard Constraints

Typical platform class: NVIDIA Quantum-X800 XDR InfiniBand and 800G-class Ethernet OSFP systems and matching twin-port OSFP endpoints. Verify your platform’s approved-cable list.
Thermal orientation: IHS/RHS connector tops are chassis-specific — liquid-cooled and air-cooled cages differ. Confirm the required top type for both ends before ordering.
Software dependencies: switch/adapter firmware recognizing the cable EEPROM profile; verify link and per-lane BER with mlxlink / switch CLI after installation.
Power: passive assembly — no meaningful port power draw.
Pre-deployment verification: confirm length and orientation on the unit label, plus firmware and port-mode configuration.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q. What is the NVIDIA 980-9IAL3-00X01B?
An NVIDIA ordering P/N attributed to the MCP4C10 family: a 1.6Tb/s twin-port OSFP to twin-port OSFP passive direct-attach copper cable running 8× 200G-PAM4 lanes, presented as 2× 800Gb/s channels.
Q. Is the 980-9IAL3-00X01B active or passive?
Passive. It contains no signal-conditioning electronics. The active 1.6T copper families are MCA4K00 and MCA4K50 — different products with different P/Ns.
Q. Will the 980-9IAL3-00X01B fit a QSFP or QSFP-DD cage?
No. Both ends are OSFP. It is physically and electrically incompatible with any QSFP-family cage.
Q. What length is the 980-9IAL3-00X01B?
NVIDIA public tables do not list this exact suffix; the length is stated on the unit label. Sibling 980-9IAL3 OPNs are documented at 0.5m (00X00A) and 1m (00X001), but no length should be inferred for this unit. T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS confirms the label on request.
Q. What hardware works with the 980-9IAL3-00X01B?
Typical platforms are NVIDIA Quantum-X800-class XDR InfiniBand and 800G-class Ethernet OSFP switch systems with matching twin-port OSFP endpoints. Verify the approved-cable list, firmware and port profile of your specific platform before deployment.
Q. What condition is supplied by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS?
Refurbished. Each unit receives EEPROM/vendor-data readout where test topology is available, connector and contact inspection, anti-static packaging, and ships from EU stock.
Why T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
Every 980-9IAL3-00X01B unit ships with: (1) link verification where test topology is available, (2) EEPROM / vendor data check, (3) full cosmetic inspection, (4) professional anti-static packaging, (5) global B2B shipping from EU stock, (6) technical consultation for AI/HPC fabric design at no extra cost.