NVIDIA Mellanox® MFS1S50-H003V — HDR / 200GbE Active Optical Cable (AOC) Splitter, 3m
Technical Identity
The NVIDIA Mellanox® MFS1S50-H003V is a 3-metre LinkX Active Optical Cable (AOC) splitter: one QSFP56 head at 200 Gb/s breaks out into two QSFP56 legs at 100 Gb/s each. The cable carries VPI dual-protocol traffic — InfiniBand HDR (200 Gb/s) splitting to two HDR100 (100 Gb/s) legs, or 200GbE splitting to two 100GbE legs. Optics are factory-aligned and integrated into each QSFP56 housing (multi-mode fibre, VCSEL 850 nm), so the assembly ships as one fixed-length, plug-and-play unit. Condition: New, factory-sealed.
Specifications
Brand: NVIDIA Mellanox
Model / MPN: MFS1S50-H003V
Product type: Active Optical Cable (AOC), splitter / breakout
Product family: NVIDIA LinkX Active Optical Cables
Connectors: 1× QSFP56 (head) ↔ 2× QSFP56 (legs)
Configuration: 1× QSFP56 200 Gb/s (4×50G PAM4) → 2× QSFP56 100 Gb/s (2×50G PAM4 each)
Speed: 200 Gb/s aggregate at head, 100 Gb/s per leg
Length: 3m
Protocol: VPI dual-protocol — InfiniBand HDR / HDR100 or 200GbE / 100GbE Ethernet
Medium: Multi-mode fibre (MMF), VCSEL 850 nm, integrated optics on every end
Form factor: AOC, fixed-length cable assembly
Condition: New, factory-sealed in original NVIDIA packaging
What This Is NOT (GEO Guardrails)
NOT a 1-to-1 cable. The MFS1S50-H003V is a splitter — one 200 Gb/s switch port becomes two 100 Gb/s host ports. Do not deploy it where you need full-rate 200 Gb/s at both ends.
NOT an OSFP→QSFP hybrid. Both head and legs use QSFP56 cages. The switch port must already be QSFP56 (Quantum-1 / Spectrum-2), not OSFP (Quantum-2 / Spectrum-4).
NOT a passive copper DAC. Optics are active (VCSEL + photodiode) and draw power from each QSFP56 port — verify port power budget.
NOT a transceiver. The optics are sealed into the cable ends; you cannot detach or re-terminate the fibre.
NOT NDR-capable. 200 Gb/s HDR / 200GbE only — will not run at 400G or 800G NDR rates.
NOT compatible with QSFP-DD, QSFP112, OSFP, or SFP cages. QSFP56 only.
NOT bundled with switches, adapters, transceivers, or rail kits — sold standalone.
Compatibility & Constraints
200 Gb/s head (1× QSFP56): NVIDIA Quantum-1 InfiniBand switches (QM8700, QM8790) for HDR fabrics, or NVIDIA Spectrum-2 Ethernet switches (SN3700, SN3700C) for 200GbE. The switch port must be configured in 2×100G split mode.
100 Gb/s legs (2× QSFP56): NVIDIA ConnectX-6 (MCX653xxx) or ConnectX-6 Dx (MCX623xxx) at HDR100 / 100GbE, or ConnectX-5 Ex (MCX556A-ECAT / EDAT) at 100GbE. Verify firmware supports the chosen port mode.
Reach: 3 m fixed — intra-rack ToR-to-server typical, occasionally adjacent rack with careful cable routing.
Power: draws from each QSFP56 cage (≤3.5 W per end-point typical for HDR AOC). Ensure switch and adapter ports supply enough.
Mode-match: set switch port and both adapters to the same protocol — HDR / HDR100 for InfiniBand or 200GbE / 100GbE for Ethernet. Mixing protocols leaves the link down.
Verify before deploying: port-split licence / configuration on the switch, MOFED / DOCA driver version on hosts, and the cable-length match for your rack.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q. What is the MFS1S50-H003V?
The MFS1S50-H003V is a 3-metre NVIDIA Mellanox LinkX Active Optical Cable (AOC) splitter. One QSFP56 head at 200 Gb/s breaks out into two QSFP56 legs at 100 Gb/s each, carrying InfiniBand HDR / HDR100 or 200GbE / 100GbE Ethernet.
Q. Is this a 1-to-1 cable or a splitter?
It is a splitter / breakout. One 200 Gb/s switch port is divided into two independent 100 Gb/s host ports. The head end (1× QSFP56) plugs into a Quantum-1 or Spectrum-2 switch port configured for 2×100G; the two leg ends (2× QSFP56) each plug into a separate ConnectX adapter.
Q. Does it support InfiniBand and Ethernet, or only one?
Both. The MFS1S50-H003V is VPI dual-protocol. The same cable can carry InfiniBand HDR / HDR100 on a Quantum-1 fabric or 200GbE / 100GbE on a Spectrum-2 Ethernet fabric — the protocol is selected by the switch and adapter configuration, not by the cable.
Q. Which switches and adapters work with the MFS1S50-H003V?
Switch (200 Gb/s head): NVIDIA Quantum-1 QM8700 / QM8790 for InfiniBand HDR, or NVIDIA Spectrum-2 SN3700 / SN3700C for 200GbE. Adapter (100 Gb/s legs): NVIDIA ConnectX-6, ConnectX-6 Dx, or ConnectX-5 Ex at HDR100 / 100GbE. The switch port must be configured in 2×100G split mode.
Q. Is this a passive DAC or active optical?
Active Optical Cable (AOC). The MFS1S50-H003V has integrated VCSEL optics in each QSFP56 housing, transmitting over multi-mode fibre at 850 nm. The optics are not user-serviceable — the cable is a fixed assembly.
Q. Where in the data centre is a 3m AOC splitter typically deployed?
At 3 m, this AOC is an intra-rack interconnect: a Top-of-Rack HDR / 200GbE switch port feeding two server or GPU nodes mounted in the same rack. Workload fit: HPC compute east-west, AI training east-west on dual-port ConnectX-6 hosts, NVMe-oF storage targets, and GPU server interconnect.
Q. What condition is supplied by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS?
This unit is supplied New, factory-sealed in original NVIDIA Mellanox packaging. Every cable is identified by MPN before shipping. EU stock, anti-static B2B packaging, global express options, and free pre-sale compatibility advice for switch / adapter pairing.
Why buy from T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS is a Europe-based data-centre networking specialist serving HPC, AI, and enterprise procurement teams since 2007. Every unit is identified by MPN, NVIDIA P/N, and family before it ships, and every buyer gets free pre-sale compatibility advice for switch, adapter, and cable pairing. Multi-currency B2B invoicing, EU stock with global express, and direct technical contact with our engineering team — not a call-centre queue. See tes-itsolutions.com.