What Is 800GbE?_
800 Gigabit Ethernet is the next-generation Ethernet speed entering production for AI data center fabrics. It uses OSFP or QSFP-DD800 connectors with PAM4 signaling. 800GbE effectively doubles per-port bandwidth, reducing switch count or increasing available bandwidth to GPU nodes. Cable infrastructure must support higher signal integrity requirements.
Technical Details
800GbE uses IEEE 802.3df standards, leveraging 8 lanes of 100G PAM4 signaling. The higher data rate per port places increased demands on cable quality and connector precision. 800GbE transceiver options include 800GBASE-SR8 (multimode, up to 50m), 800GBASE-DR8 (single-mode, up to 500m), and 800GBASE-2xDR4 (2x400G breakout). The transition to 800GbE is driven by GPU cluster bandwidth demands: as GPU performance increases with each generation, the network fabric must keep pace to avoid becoming a bottleneck. 800GbE requires OSFP or QSFP-DD800 form factors, which have different physical dimensions than older transceiver types, potentially requiring switch upgrades.
How Leviathan Systems Works with 800GbE
Leviathan Systems is preparing for 800GbE deployments alongside GB200 and GB300 NVL72 installations, where the increased per-port bandwidth matches the performance demands of next-generation GPU infrastructure.