The Molex OCuLink I/O Connector is a high-performance interface designed for external PCI Express (PCIe) and SATA storage devices, offering a compact alternative to traditional PCIe cabling solutions. OCuLink stands for "Optical-Copper Link," and it supports both copper-based and optical connections, allowing it to deliver high data transfer rates with minimal signal loss over longer distances. It provides PCIe Gen 4 compatibility, ensuring up to 16 GT/s per lane, making it ideal for applications such as external storage, GPUs, and other high-bandwidth devices.
OCuLink connectors are smaller and more efficient than traditional PCIe connectors, making them suitable for space-constrained designs like mini PCs, servers, and embedded systems. It also supports configurations with up to four lanes (x4) of PCIe, and its robust design includes features like EMI shielding to ensure reliable signal transmission in environments with significant electronic interference.
This connector system is widely used for high-speed external storage solutions and interconnects, particularly in enterprise and data center environments.