Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: KEYS) announced the Functional Interconnect Test Solutions (FITS)-16CH digital-layer error performance validation system, expanding Keysight’s FITS portfolio for optical, active copper and passive copper interconnects. With 16 transmit and 16 receive channels, FITS-16CH has twice the channel density of FITS-8CH and is designed to validate complete interconnect assemblies across research and development, product design, manufacturing and pre- and post-production AI and network infrastructure deployments.
As interconnect speeds increase, testing only the physical-layer does not provide a complete view of system-level error performance. FITS-16CH combines bit error ratio (BER) and forward error correction (FEC) measurements at the digital layer to evaluate how complete interconnect assemblies perform under real-world conditions. The platform enables 106G and 212G lane-rate validation for today’s 800G interconnects and emerging 1.6T technologies.
FITS-16CH supports validation across a broad range of optical and electrical interconnects. These include full-retimed optics (FRO), active optical cables (AOCs), linear-retimed optics (LRO), linear pluggable optics (LPO), active copper cables (ACCs), active electrical cables (AECs), passive direct attach cables (DACs) and high speed copper flyover cables used in networking and high performance computing equipment. The platform also supports development and manufacturing workflows for silicon chips, networking equipment and interconnect products, as well as performance benchmarking for data center operators.
Key Capabilities Include:
Higher channel density for complete-assembly validation: With 16 transmit and 16 receive channels, FITS-16CH is designed to test fully assembled interconnects using two Module Compliance Boards (MCBs) with independent channel groups and MCB controls, enabling teams to validate interconnect performance on more lanes simultaneously, ensuring a high degree of system-level qualification.
Broad interconnect support and insertion-loss capability: A large insertion-loss budget supports signals across lossy channels and customer fixtures, enabling validation of a broad range of optical and copper interconnects, including active copper and high speed copper flyover cables.
- Automated lane tuning: The FITS Windows 11 graphical user interface integrates FITS-16CH with the Keysight DCA-X to automatically calculate optimal transmit finite impulse response (FIR) tap settings and open the electrical eye. The automated process can reduce tuning time to a few minutes compared with manual tuning that can take hours, days or even weeks
- Flexible integration and automation: FITS-16CH can integrate as a transmitter or receiver with Keysight data communications analyzers (DCAs), high performance bit error ratio testers (BERTs) and UXR real-time oscilloscopes. The platform supports automated validation workflows with Standard Commands for Programmable Instruments (SCPI) API support, automatic real-time charts and data tables, pass/fail flagging and PDF and .csv report generation. The solution reduces validation complexity by using the common FITS software framework, providing a familiar environment across the FITS portfolio.
Ameet Suri, Vice President of Product, Credo Technologies, said: “The tighter margins at 1.6T make it essential to evaluate active electrical cable performance at the system level, not in isolation for each link. Keysight’s solutions give Credo a practical way to test our AEC cables during development and qualification, so issues surface sooner and designs reach production with greater assurance.”
Ram Periakaruppan, Vice President and General Manager, Network Test & Security Solutions, Keysight, said: “As interconnect speeds increase, manufacturers need to validate more lanes simultaneously on many types of interconnects without adding unnecessary complexity to their labs. FITS-16CH expands our functional interconnect validation portfolio with the capacity, flexibility and automation needed to help engineers move from product development and qualification to mass production with greater confidence.”
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