200G QSFP56 to 4×50G SFP56 Passive DAC Breakout Cable: 200G-PDAC-QSFP56-4SFP56

Our EDGEOPTIC 200G-PDAC-QSFP56-4SFP56 is a multi-vendor compatible 200G QSFP56 to 4x 50G SFP56 passive direct attach copper breakout cable designed for ultra-high-performance 50/200 Gigabit Ethernet aggregation applications within modern data center and high-performance computing environments. The 200G-PDAC-QSFP56-4SFP56 cable features a 1-to-4 breakout configuration with a single QSFP56 connector on the host end and four independent SFP56 connectors on the multi-port end, delivering reliable high-bandwidth connectivity for 200G-to-4x50G interconnects between high-density spine switches, ToR aggregation layers, and 50G-equipped servers, NICs, and storage endpoints.

The cable routes each of the four 50 Gbps PAM-4 lanes on the 200G QSFP56 host port to a dedicated SFP56 endpoint, providing a clean 4:1 fan-out from a single 200G port to four independent 50G channels. The cable supports 4×50G or 4×56G PAM-4 operation, accommodating the demanding bandwidth requirements of contemporary data center architectures. The SFP56 connector shares the same physical form factor as SFP28 and supports both NRZ and PAM-4 transmission, delivering up to 56 Gbps per channel for high-density 50G Ethernet switch and server connectivity. For Ethernet deployments, the cable enables a 200GbE QSFP56 switch port to terminate into four 50GbE SFP56 endpoints, maximizing port utilization and significantly reducing per-port cost when serving 50G server fleets.

As a passive DAC solution, the 200G-PDAC-QSFP56-4SFP56 requires no external power and introduces zero latency to signal transmission, making it the preferred choice for latency-sensitive applications such as financial trading platforms, real-time analytics, and tightly coupled HPC workloads. The cable construction utilizes high-quality twinax copper with optimized wire gauges for each length range: AWG30 for 0.5 to 1.5 meters and AWG26 for 2 to 3 meters. This progressive wire gauge selection ensures optimal signal integrity at 50 Gbps PAM-4 per lane while maintaining practical cable flexibility for installation in high-density 4-way breakout deployments.

The electrical interface conforms to QSFP56 MSA, SFP56 MSA, SFF-8636, and SFF-8402 specifications, ensuring broad compatibility with standard QSFP56 and SFP56 host systems from multiple equipment vendors. Our 200G QSFP56 to 4x50G SFP56 DAC breakout cables can be encoded for compatibility with over 80 different equipment brands including major networking, server, and storage vendors. The cable incorporates an I2C two-wire interface for DDM/DOM (Digital Diagnostic Monitoring) functionality, providing real-time diagnostic data including module temperature and supply voltage through the MSA-compatible interface for proactive network monitoring.

Standards compliance includes IEEE 802.3bj and IEEE 802.3cd alongside HDR InfiniBand specifications. The cable supports hot pluggability and is engineered with low crosstalk and optimized return loss characteristics for excellent signal integrity across all four PAM-4 lanes. The cable operates within a 0 to 70°C temperature range, suitable for controlled data center environments. With an MTBF rating of 1,000,000 hours, the cable delivers long-term reliability for mission-critical 200G breakout infrastructure deployments.

Typical deployment scenarios include 200G spine-to-50G server fan-out, ToR-to-server connectivity for dense 50G NIC deployments, GPU and storage aggregation in AI/ML training fabrics, and 4:1 port density expansion in space-constrained switch deployments. The 4-way breakout architecture quadruples usable port count on 200G-capable QSFP56 switches when connecting to 50G SFP56 endpoints, dramatically reducing per-port cost and minimizing cable bundle volume compared to running four discrete 50G cables from dedicated SFP56 ports.

Our 200G QSFP56 to 4x50G SFP56 passive DAC is CE/RoHS certified and compliant with product safety standards. Because our focus is providing top quality service, we perform comprehensive quality checks before delivery including electrical parameter measurements, connector inspection tests, and QSFP56/SFP56 EEPROM memory data validation tests.