NVIDIA Mellanox InfiniBand EDR 100Gb/s QSFP Active Optical Cable 50m - MFA1A00-E050
This active optical cable (AOC) is the NVIDIA Mellanox MFA1A00-E050, a QSFP-to-QSFP InfiniBand EDR cable rated at 100 Gb/s over a 50-meter reach. This is a refurbished unit, professionally tested and validated by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS. It is NOT an Ethernet cable (the Ethernet variant is the MFA1A00-C050). It is NOT compatible with InfiniBand HDR ports operating at 200 Gb/s (different signaling: PAM4 vs NRZ).
Engineering Context
The MFA1A00-E050 is the maximum-reach AOC in the InfiniBand EDR product family, utilizing embedded VCSEL optical engines operating at 850 nm across 4 lanes of 25 Gb/s NRZ signaling for an aggregate 100 Gb/s. Power consumption is less than 3.5W per end. The cable is compliant with SFF-8665 for QSFP pluggable solutions. The LSZH (Low Smoke Zero Halogen) jacket meets EN 50525 and IEC 60332 fire safety standards. Programmable Rx output amplitude, pre-emphasis, Tx input equalizer, and selectable CDR retiming ensure signal integrity across the full 50-meter span. The minimum bend radius is 30 mm.
Deployment and Use Cases
The MFA1A00-E050 is deployed in InfiniBand EDR fabrics for long-distance rack-to-rack or cross-hall interconnects in warehouse-scale data centers. It connects NVIDIA Quantum EDR switches (SB7700, SB7800) to ConnectX-4, ConnectX-5, or ConnectX-6 VPI adapters in HPC clusters running MPI-based distributed computing. At 50 meters, it enables connectivity between compute islands and central switching infrastructure across entire data halls, cooling zones, or fire compartments. NVMe-oF storage fabrics use it for linking storage arrays to distant compute nodes.
Technical Specifications
Model: MFA1A00-E050
NVIDIA P/N: 980-9I133-00E050
Cable Type: Active Optical Cable (AOC)
Connector: QSFP to QSFP
Data Rate: 100 Gb/s (4x 25 Gb/s NRZ)
Protocol: InfiniBand EDR
Length: 50 meters
Fiber Type: Multimode Fiber (MMF)
Optics: VCSEL (850 nm)
Jacket: LSZH (Low Smoke Zero Halogen)
Power: Less than 3.5W per end
Minimum Bend Radius: 30 mm
Compliance: SFF-8665, EN 50525, IEC 60332
Condition: Refurbished
Compatibility and Hard Constraints
The MFA1A00-E050 is coded for InfiniBand EDR and requires QSFP ports configured for native 100 Gb/s EDR operation. It is compatible with NVIDIA Quantum EDR switches (SB7700, SB7800), ConnectX-4, ConnectX-5, ConnectX-6 VPI adapters, and BlueField-2 DPUs in InfiniBand mode. It is NOT compatible with InfiniBand HDR ports at 200 Gb/s (PAM4 signaling vs NRZ). It is NOT an Ethernet cable; for 100GbE Ethernet, use MFA1A00-C050 instead. It does NOT fit SFP28 or SFP+ ports (physical form factor mismatch). It is NOT a structured cabling solution with MPO connectors; this is an integrated AOC with sealed optics.
Why Choose T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS provides this MFA1A00-E050 as a professionally refurbished unit with signal integrity testing validated for InfiniBand EDR 100 Gb/s performance. Technical consultation is available to verify compatibility with your specific switch and adapter configuration. Global shipping is available with 1-3 business day handling time.