400G AEC Cables

Retimed Copper Links for High-Density 400G

Overview

The NSComm 400G Active Electrical Cable (AEC) collection is built for modern 400G Ethernet and InfiniBand deployments where signal integrity is critical. Unlike passive copper, AEC uses retimer chips at both ends to reshape PAM4 signals, enabling stable, plug-and-play 400G connectivity over short-to-medium distances-without moving to fiber.

AEC is an ideal choice when you need reliable 400G links inside a rack or between adjacent racks, especially for AI/GPU racks, leaf-spine fabrics, and high-density switch/NIC interconnects.

NVIDIA-Focused Compatibility (with a Practical "Universal" Option)

These 400G AECs are positioned primarily for NVIDIA/Mellanox platforms, commonly used in AI fabrics and high-performance data centers. We also keep a generic option available for broader network environments.

Need to match a specific switch or NIC model? Contact our team and we'll confirm the best coding/option quickly.

Product Range

This collection includes three key 400G AEC types for different topologies:

1. 400G QSFP112 AEC (InfiniBand NDR) - up to 3m

Designed for NDR-class InfiniBand links where clean signal recovery and low latency matter-commonly used for GPU cluster interconnects and high-performance compute racks.

2. 400G QSFP-DD AEC (Ethernet) - up to 5m

A flexible Ethernet solution for ToR switch uplinks, leaf-to-spine interconnects, or switch-to-DPU/NIC cabling-especially when you want copper simplicity but need retimed stability.

3. 400G QSFP-DD → 4×100G QSFP28 AEC Breakout - 3m

Perfect for migration and port density: connect one 400G port on a leaf/spine switch to four 100G devices, such as servers, NICs, or access switches-great for phased upgrades.

Key Benefits

• Retimed 400G PAM4 stability: Built-in retimers improve signal quality and reduce jitter.

• Low-latency, plug-and-play: Fast deployment without optics, fiber, or extra patching.

• Great for AI racks: Optimized for NVIDIA-centric switch/NIC environments.

• Breakout flexibility: Easily fan out 400G to 4×100G for migration and port efficiency.

• Cleaner cabling: Ideal for dense racks where fiber management becomes complex.

Buying Guide

• Choose your interface:

  • QSFP112 for 400G InfiniBand NDR ecosystems

  • QSFP-DD for common 400G Ethernet switches and NICs

• Pick straight vs breakout:

  • Straight AEC for switch-to-switch or switch-to-NIC/DPU

  • Breakout for 400G switch → 4×100G endpoints

• Match the scenario:

  • GPU servers → ToR: stable copper with retimers

  • Leaf ↔ spine: clean 400G fabric links

  • Upgrade paths: keep 100G endpoints while moving the fabric to 400G

Conclusion

The 400G Active Electrical Cable Collection delivers a practical path to high-speed 400G connectivity with the simplicity of copper and the reliability of retimed signal recovery. Whether you're wiring AI/GPU racks, building a leaf-spine fabric, or transitioning from 100G to 400G, NSComm 400G AEC provides stable performance, fast deployment, and cleaner cabling.

⚡ Upgrade to retimed 400G copper-built for density, stability, and AI-scale networks.