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400G SR4 Optical Transceiver: Ushering in a New Era of High-speed Networking

400G SR4 Optical Transceiver: Ushering in a New Era of High-speed Networking


Overview of 400G SR4 Fiber Optic Transceivers

A 400G SR4 optical transceiver is a high-performance, short-reach transceiver used in data centers to enable 400 Gigabit Ethernet connections over multimode fiber, and is available in various form factors like QSFP-DD, QSFP112. These 400G optical transceiver utilizes MTP/MPO-12 connectors and operate at an 850nm wavelength. As a representative of high-speed optical communication technology, the 400G SR4 transceiver module has become a mainstream choice for interconnecting within data centers in recent years.

Packaging Form of the 400G SR4 Fiber Transceivers

400G SR4 optical transceivers come in three form factors: QSFP-DD, QSFP112, and OSFP:

The 400G QSFP-DD SR4 fiber optic transceiver is one of the most commonly used form factors for 400G fiber transceivers. The electrical interface of the 400G QSFP-DD SR4 transceiver uses 8-channel transmission with a single-channel rate of 50G. The optical interface has four parallel transmission channels, each with a transmission rate of 100G. QSFP-DD 400GBASE-SR4 optical transceiver is suitable for data transmission within 100 meters.

QSFP112 is a new 400G fiber optic transceiver form factor with digital diagnostic monitoring (DDM) and control functions. It has four identical and independent channels, achieving a total transmission rate of 425Gbps through four 106.25Gbps channels, with a transmission distance of 50m.

The OSFP-RHS 400GBASE-SR4 fiber transceiver is designed for 400G Ethernet links, supports hot-swapping, and uses 100G PAM4 and VCSEL technology. With FEC enabled, it can achieve 425Gbps data interconnection within 100 meters using four pairs of multimode fibers, with a transmission distance of 100 meters.

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Advantages of 400G SR4 Optical Transceivers

Ultra-High-Speed Transmission Capability:

The 400G SR4 transceiver module achieves 400Gbps data transmission capability through a single high-speed port, significantly increasing network bandwidth density.  This effectively supports the ultra-high data throughput requirements of cloud computing, artificial intelligence training, big data processing, and high-performance computing. Compared to solutions that achieve equivalent bandwidth by combining multiple 100G or 200G ports, the 400G SR4 transceiver significantly reduces the number of switching ports and network layers, lowering system complexity while improving overall network scalability and resource utilization efficiency.

 

Cost and Energy Efficiency Advantages:

By integrating higher transmission rates on a single port, the 400G SR4 optical transceiver effectively reduces the number of optical modules, fiber links, and supporting equipment required per unit of bandwidth. This reduces initial deployment costs and subsequent maintenance costs at the overall architectural level. At the same time, this optical module has a significant advantage in power consumption per bit transmitted, controlling power consumption growth while providing higher bandwidth. This helps reduce the energy consumption pressure on data centers and improves energy efficiency (W/Gbps), aligning with the current trend of green data centers and energy conservation.

 

Low Latency and High Performance:

Based on mature multi-mode fiber short-distance transmission technology, the 400G SR4 fiber transceiver offers low transmission latency, high signal integrity, and stable error rate performance in data center interconnection scenarios, ensuring reliable high-speed data transmission under high load conditions. Its low latency is particularly important for applications requiring high real-time performance and consistency, such as high-performance computing clusters, distributed storage systems, and financial trading systems, effectively improving application response speed and overall system operating efficiency.

 

Applications of 400G SR4 Optical Transceivers

The 400G SR4 optical transceiver, featuring high bandwidth density, low latency, and excellent cost efficiency, is widely deployed in short-reach high-speed interconnection scenarios within data centers, cloud computing platforms, and AI/HPC infrastructures.

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Within data centers, the 400G SR4 transceiver module is primarily used for short-distance high-speed interconnects between switches or between switches and servers over multimode fiber, delivering transmission bandwidths of up to 400 Gbps. It effectively supports high-volume east–west traffic while reducing port count and cabling complexity, thereby enhancing overall network efficiency and maintainability.

In cloud computing and hyperscale data center environments, the 400G SR4 fiber transceiver is widely adopted for high-speed connectivity between large-scale server clusters and network equipment, meeting the stringent high-bandwidth and low-latency requirements of virtualization, containerization, and cloud services. By increasing per-port bandwidth density, it helps reduce network deployment and expansion costs and improves overall resource utilization.

In artificial intelligence and high-performance computing clusters, the 400G SR4 fiber optic transceiver enables high-speed interconnection among computing nodes, supporting large-scale parallel processing and rapid data exchange. Its low-latency and high-stability transmission characteristics help mitigate communication bottlenecks and improve cluster efficiency, thereby accelerating model training and complex computational workloads.

Conclusion

400G SR4 optical transceiver represents a mature and cost-effective solution for short-reach 400G Ethernet deployment within modern data centers and computing infrastructures. With its high bandwidth density, low latency, and efficient power consumption, it effectively addresses the growing demands of cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and high-performance computing environments. As data center architectures continue to evolve toward higher speeds and greater scalability, the 400G SR4 transceiver will remain a key building block for enabling reliable, high-performance, and energy-efficient optical interconnections. As a leading optical transceivers supplier in the industry, UnitekFiber offers a wide range of premium transceivers such as 10G SFP+, 40G QSFP+, 100G QSFP28, 200G QSFP56, 400 QSFP-DD transceivers and so on. Whether for data centers, enterprise networks, or 5G communication, UnitekFiber provides advanced fiber optic solutions.


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