Connector Industry Reports

Evolving High-Speed Backplane Connectors

Report Number: P-881-17
Price: $4500.00
Publication Date: November 2017


The market for high-speed backplane connectors continues to evolve. Although relatively few entirely new backplane connector families have been introduced over the last few years, existing flagship interfaces have continued to experience performance upgrades. In many cases, the manufacturers of these advanced connector families have spent this time implementing some fine tuning of their design as well as filling out their product family offerings to include midplane, orthogonal midplane, orthogonal direct and cable backplane options.

This Bishop and Associates research report analyzes the expanding role and market for high-speed traditional, midplane, orthogonal, cable, ruggedized, and fiber optic backplane connectors designed to perform in the 6 to 50+ Gb/s arena. The report reviews the basic technology underlying high-speed backplane connectors and outlines current and anticipated applications that demand them. Detailed analysis compares performance of high-speed backplane connectors from leading suppliers, as well as the challenges designers face in predicting connector performance in very specific applications. The report also reviews related system elements including driver and receiver technology, printed circuit board materials and design, as well as channel modeling, design support, second sourcing imperatives, and performance measurement systems.

What high-speed backplane connector type will see the most growth over the next five-year period? Will fiber optic backplane connectors see a breakthrough? Which region will see the greatest growth in high-speed backplane connectors and what type of high-speed backplane connector? Bishop’s new report – Evolving High-Speed Backplane Connectors – discusses, examines, and analyzes in detail these questions, providing forecast numbers by backplane type and region for the years 2016 through 2022.

Evolving High-Speed Backplane Connectors

Chapter 1 - Report Scope and Methodology
  • Survey Objectives
  • Issues Addressed in this Report
  • Methodology and Approach
Chapter 2 - Executive Summary
  • Executive Summary
  • High-Speed Backplane Connector Families
Chapter 3 - Introduction
  • Preface
  • Introduction to System Packaging
Chapter 4 - High-Speed Backplane Connector Basics
  • System Design Options
  • Traditional Backplane Architecture
  • Midplane Architecture
  • Orthogonal Midplane Architecture
  • High-Speed Transmission Line Issues
  • Defining Features of High-Speed Interfaces
  • Connector Selection Criteria
  • The Second Sourcing Imperative
  • Performance Measuring Systems
  • Test and Measurement Equipment
  • Comparison of Electrical Performance
  • Design Support Provided by Connector Manufacturers
Chapter 5 - High-Speed Backplane System Elements
  • Driver and Receiver Technology
  • The Role of Active Signal Conditioning
  • Printed Circuit Board Materials
  • Printed Circuit Board Design and Fabrication
Chapter 6 - Market Drivers for High-Speed Backplane Connectors
  • The Need for Speed
  • Advancing Semiconductor Technology
  • Industry Standards
  • Supercomputers
  • Internet of Things
  • Industry 4.0
  • Cloud Computing
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Augmented / Virtual Reality
  • Emerging 5G Networks
Chapter 7 Overview of Current High-Speed Backplane Connectors
Amphenol TCS
  • VHDM H Series
  • VHDM RAM
  • e-HSD
  • GbX
  • GbX E / U Series
  • Ventura
  • Crossbow
  • XCede HD / LC / Orthogonal
  • Paladin / VIPER
  • SMASH
ERNI Components
  • ERmet Zd
  • ERmet Zd Plus / Zd Pro
FCI Electronics
  • AirMax VS
  • AirMax VSe / VS2
  • ZipLine
  • ExaMAX
Molex
  • GbX I–Trac
  • Impact
  • Impact zX2 / Impel / Impel Plus
  • Impulse Orthogonal Direct
TE Connectivity
  • HS3
  • Z-PACK HM-Zd
  • Z-PACK HM-Zd Plus
  • Z-PACK HMeZd+ / TinMan
  • Z-Pack Slim UHD
  • STRADA Whisper
  • MultiGig RT-2R
3M Electronic Solutions Division
  • Ultra Hard Metric Connector
Samtec
  • AirMax / XCede/ ExaMAX / Paladin
Chapter 8 - Additional Backplane Solutions
  • Ruggedized Backplane Connectors
  • Cable Backplane Systems
  • Optical Backplane Connectors
Chapter 9 - Impact of Continuing Backplane Evolution
  • Impact of Continuing Backplane Evolution
  • Non Return to Zero (NRZ) and Pulse Amplitude Modulation (PAM4) Signaling
  • Cable Backplanes
  • Flyover Technology
  • Open System Architecture Standards
  • Low-Cost High-Performance Connectors
Chapter 10 Market Analysis and Forecasts
  • Measurement Criteria
Total World
  • High-Speed Backplane Connector Sales and Forecast by Type 2016 through 2022F
  • High-Speed Backplane Connector Usage by Type 2017F and 2022F
  • High-Speed Backplane Connector CAGR and Sales $ by type
  • High-Speed Backplane Connector Sales by Region 2016 through 2022F
  • High-Speed Backplane Connector Sales by Region 2017F and 2022F
  • High-Speed Backplane Connector Sales by Region 2016-2022F
North America
  • High-Speed Backplane Connector Sales and Forecast by Type 2016 through 2022F
  • High-Speed Backplane Connector Usage by Type 2017F and 2022F
  • High-Speed Backplane Connector CAGR and Sales $ by type 2017F-2022F
Europe
  • High-Speed Backplane Connector Sales and Forecast by Type 2016 through 2022F
  • High-Speed Backplane Connector Usage by Type 2017F and 2022F
  • High-Speed Backplane Connector CAGR and Sales $ by type
Japan
  • High-Speed Backplane Connector Sales and Forecast by Type 2016 through 2022F
  • High-Speed Backplane Connector Usage by Type 2017F and 2022F
  • High-Speed Backplane Connector CAGR and Sales $ by type
China
  • High-Speed Backplane Connector Sales and Forecast by Type 2016 through 2022F
  • High-Speed Backplane Connector Usage by Type 2017F and 2022F
  • High-Speed Backplane Connector CAGR and Sales $ by type
Asia Pacific
  • High-Speed Backplane Connector Sales and Forecast by Type 2016 through 2022F
  • High-Speed Backplane Connector Usage by Type 2017F and 2022F
  • High-Speed Backplane Connector CAGR and Sales $ by type
ROW
  • High-Speed Backplane Connector Sales and Forecast by Type 2016 through 2022F
  • High-Speed Backplane Connector Usage by Type 2017F and 2022F
  • High-Speed Backplane Connector CAGR and Sales $ by type
Chapter 11 Major Findings and Conclusions
  • General Observations
  • Backplane Connectors
  • Midplane and Orthogonal Midplane Connectors
  • Ruggedized and Cable Backplane Connectors
  • Fiber Optic Backplanes

Evolving High-Speed Backplane Connectors

Bishop and Associates eleven-chapter, 250-page research report provides an analysis of the expanding role and market for high-speed traditional, midplane, orthogonal, cable, ruggedized, and fiber optic backplane connectors designed to perform in the 6 to 50+ Gb/s arena. The report reviews the basic technology underlying high-speed backplane connectors and outlines current and anticipated applications that demand them. Detailed analysis compares performance of high-speed backplane connectors from leading suppliers, as well as the challenges designers face in predicting connector performance in very specific applications.

Emphasis is placed on identifying significant advances in interconnect technology, system design and designer expectations that have occurred over the past four years.

A variety of factors associated with high-speed channels have a major influence on their behavior. Sections are devoted to reviewing related system elements including driver and receiver technology, printed circuit board materials and design, as well as channel modeling, design support, second sourcing imperatives, and performance measurement systems.

A statistical analysis by region of the world provides a breakdown by high-speed backplane type for the years 2016 through 2022F.

/media/images/product/p-881-17/backplane-type.gif

Since our 2013 report on high-speed backplanes was published, application opportunities such as the dawn of the Internet-of-Things, and Industry 4.0 continue to stimulate demand for access to increased network capacity and speed. Improved pluggable I/O interfaces have enabled transfer of multi-terabit levels of throughput from a 1U chassis, thereby eliminating that data bottleneck. Broad adoption of PAM4 signaling is allowing system designers to remain in their comfort zone by allowing the use of existing connectors while essentially doubling system data rates. The last four years have seen the ranks of the top four high-speed backplane connectors shift as industry consolidation and cross-licensing of second sources altered the mix of key players.

/media/images/product/p-881-17/percent-region.gif

Download a descriptive brochure here