BOULDER, Colo., July 3 -- Picolight announced that it has entered volume production for a 32 Gb/s parallel optical interconnect module that features the first snap-on connector for easy integration on backplane circuit cards of large switches. Picolight's unique vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL)-based optical module is designed to help switch manufacturers solve the critical backplane bottleneck for core routers, switches and cross connect equipment used in points of presence, central offices, large data centers and metropolitan/wide-area network hubs. Picolight's parallel optical transceiver provides more than 32 Gb/s of aggregate bandwidth operating at 12 channels x 2.7 Gb/s. It is the first in Picolight's MAGNUS family of parallel optics products that are enabling huge pipes required to transport data in and between the next generation of optical switches. Picolight's transceiver is also the first of its kind to combine the speed of parallel optics with the convenience of low-cost, snap-on connector pluggability. "Today's parallel VCSEL transceivers offer the most effective way to build a fat pipe extending reasonable distances," said Warner Andrews, vice president of marketing for Picolight. "Many system OEMs are quickly adopting the 'connectorized' optical modules that feature an easy-to-deploy solution for high-capacity switches.