Silicon Line releases new ICs for Active Optical Cables

Silicon Line GmbH introduced a new line of integrated circuits (ICs) with transmission speeds of 16 to 18 gigabytes per seconds (Gb/s).

The new chips will be produced in single-channel and four-channel versions, enabling the production of active optical cables with speeds up 72 Gigabytes per Second.

Likely applications for the ICs include active optical cables for HDMI- and DisplayPort-enabled devices, as well as customized cable solutions for virtual reality headsets, 4K and 8K TV and commercial products. Silicon Line is the global leader in developing and providing innovative optical link technology for consumer, commercial and industrial electronics.

Ruud van der Linden, CEO, also announced Silicon Line sales had doubled for the second consecutive year in 2018 and that the company, which recently completed an expansion of its production capacity at its Hasselt, Belgium facility, will add another shift to the plant's production schedule this fall. The Hasselt factory manufactures Silicon Line's patented optical components which are combined with the company's ICs to fabricate modules used inside the housings at either end of active optical cables.

"Module sales to existing customers continue to grow, as do the number of customers we serve," van der Linden said. "With bandwidth specifications for connectivity standards only increasing, we see a very bright future for active optical technology and our company."

Earlier this year, Silicon Line demonstrated the first active optical cables with the company's embedded proprietary technology supporting all features of the recently released HDMI 2.1 specification.

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Silicon Line GmbH announced the first active optical cables with embedded t