OSFP Fibre Optic Transceiver Overview

OSFP (Octal Small Form factor Pluggable) transceivers support 400Gbps, and 800Gbps bandwidth speeds through eight electrical lanes running at 50Gbps or 100Gbps respectively. OSFP packaging will soon be used in 1.6T optical modules (eight 200Gbps lanes), making it a better option for those seeking future scalability options. The OSFP form factor is not backward compatible with QSFP modules due to its differing physical size, electrical interface and connector. However, an adapter can be used if necessary, with the OSFP port properly configured to support the differing data rate.

OSFP transceivers are designed with better heat dissipation and signal integrity technology to aid the transition to 800G technology and beyond. There are three main types of OSFP designs to improve heat dissipation:

Finned top – Heat sink made up of thin extended fins is attached to the top of the module, increasing the surface area and pulling heat away from the module.
Flat top/Riding Heat Sink (RHS) – Developed by NVIDIA for use in Network Interface Cards (NICs). There is no heat sink on the transceiver itself; instead, a riding heat sink is integrated in the OSFP cage.
Closed top – Similar to finned top, but with an additional metal cover over the fins. This enhances heat dissipation by increasing airflow along the entire transceiver and enabling better heat conduction from the fins.

See the OSFP MSA Rev 5.1 for more information

Standards & Protocols

OSFP MSA
100G lambda MSA
IEEE P802.3cm
IEEE 802.3cd
IEEE 802.3bs
CMIS Rev 4.0

Features

Format	Reach	Media Type	Connector	Wavelength	Modulation
400G OSFP SR8	100m	Parallel MMF	MTP-16/MPO-16	850nm	50G PAM4
400G OSFP DR4	500m	Parallel SMF	MTP-12/MPO-12	1310nm	100G PAM4
400G OSFP XDR4/DR4+	2km	Parallel SMF	MTP-12/MPO-12	1310nm	100G PAM4
400G OSFP FR4	2km	Duplex SMF	LC	1271nm, 1291nm, 1311nm, 1331nm	100G PAM4
400G OSFP 2FR4	2km	Duplex SMF	CS	1271nm, 1291nm, 1311nm, 1331nm	50G PAM4
400G OSFP LR4	10km	Duplex SMF	LC	1271nm, 1291nm, 1311nm, 1331nm	100G PAM4
400G OSFP LR8	10km	Duplex SMF	LC	1310nm	50G PAM4
800G OSFP DR8	500m	Parallel SMF	2x MPO-12	1310nm	100G PAM4
800G OSFP 2SR4	100m	Parallel SMF	2x MPO-12	850nm	100G PAM4
800G OSFP 2DR4	500m	Single SMF	2x MPO-12	1310nm	100G PAM4
800G OSFP 2FR4	2km	Duplex SMF	2x LC Duplex	1271nm, 1291nm, 1311nm, 1331nm	100G PAM4
800G OSFP FR4	2km
800G OSFP FR8	2km	SMF	2x LC Duplex	1271nm, 1291nm, 1311nm, 1331nm	100G PAM4
800G OSFP LR8	10km			1310nm
800G OSFP SR8	50m	MMF	2x MPO-12	850nm	100G PAM4