Molex Addresses Hyperscale Data Center Growth with High-Performance, Low-Maintenance ‘Plug and Play’ VersaBeam EBO Interconnect Solutions

• Innovative Expanded Beam Optical (EBO) technology boosts reliability and reduces cleaning, inspection and maintenance requirements
• Use of 3M™ EBO Ferrule helps streamline deployments, increase efficiency and decrease need for cleaning and maintenance to lower total cost of ownership (TCO)
• Flexible design includes options to integrate 12, 16 or 144 fibers into a single connector, simplifying cable routing while delivering higher fiber density
• Use of EBO connectors with 3M EBO ferrules results in 85%-time savings for intra-rack data center applications

LISLE, IL - Media OutReach Newswire - 2 April 2025 - Molex, a global electronics leader and connectivity innovator, today unveils its VersaBeam Expanded Beam Optical (EBO) Interconnect Solutions, an innovative family of high-density fiber connectors optimized for hyperscale data center, cloud and edge computing environments.

This robust product portfolio leverages the 3M™ EBO Ferrule, which expands the beam between connectors to reduce sensitivity to dust and debris, while dramatically decreasing the need for frequent cleaning, inspection and maintenance.

With VersaBeam EBO technology, faster deployment speeds can be achieved because fewer connections are required, reducing installation time and complexity. "The best designs often are the simplest, which is true with Molex VersaBeam EBO connectors as customers can make reliable connections with one click," said Trevor Smith, general manager, Optical Connectivity, Molex. "No special skillsets are needed to install these connectors, empowering organizations to rapidly reap the performance and cost benefits of resilient, scalable fiber connectivity."

Next-Gen Connectors for Tomorrow's Data Centers
To keep pace with the unrelenting rise of AI-driven capacity increases, data center providers must continually upgrade bandwidth while minimizing infrastructure changes. Ideally suited for intra-rack and server connections, Molex's VersaBeam EBO technology fits more fibers into a very small form factor (VSFF) to maximize rack-unit usage and minimize space.

"Expanded Beam Optical connectors are the future of high-speed, resilient data center infrastructure," said Kevin Twomey, global portfolio director, Electronics Materials Solution Division, 3M. "We are excited to collaborate with Molex to transform multi-fiber connectivity in data centers. This technology is a game-changer compared to traditional connectors — significantly reducing contamination risks while boosting deployment speed and performance."

Molex's VersaBeam EBO connectors deliver high-fiber density without spring-force limitations, enabling optimal alignment and plug-and-play assembly. They are available in single- and multi-mode options, including 12- and 16-fiber connectors, as well as high-density connectors with as many as 144 fibers per connector, to facilitate more flexible system designs, easier cable routing in space-constrained environments, and expedited data center turn-ups.

Faster, Easier Deployment Leads to Reduced TCO
VersaBeam EBO connectors do not require a lot of effort or expertise to deploy and maintain, which alleviates current concerns over labor shortages of highly skilled data center technicians. Moreover, both termination times and component counts are reduced, which saves operational expenses, lowers supply chain complexity and produces turn-up time savings for reduced TCO.

"Molex's VersaBeam EBO brings tremendous value by removing the struggle of connecting our data center infrastructure while simplifying cleaning and inspecting every connection at a lower power density," said Dave Boertjes, senior director, Advanced Photonic Networks R&D, Ciena. "By utilizing VersaBeam EBO, we achieved a 6X time reduction in inspection cleaning, which is critical to speeding deployments and keeping pace with the current landscape."

During a 3M customer field test of EBO connectors with a hyperscale data center customer, similar time savings were realized when compared to the deployment of conventional MPO connectors. For 3M's test, the elimination of cleaning and inspection yielded a total time savings of 85%, totaling more than six hours in reduced deployment time.[i]

Product Availability
Molex's VersaBeam EBO Interconnect Solutions family is now available.

Molex Optical Connectivity Solutions Showcase at OFC 2025

Molex's new groundbreaking VersaBeam EBO Connectors will be featured at OFC 2025, booth 5945, April 1-3 in San Francisco. Molex optical experts will be on hand to address this latest product innovation and share how the company's vast connector capabilities are designed to increase data-center fiber density faster and more easily. Molex also will highlight broader strategies for driving data center efficiencies alongside top technology collaborators, including 3M, Commscope, SENKO Advanced Components, Inc, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd and US Conec.

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About Molex

Molex is a global electronics leader committed to making the world a better, more-connected place. With a presence in more than 38 countries, Molex enables transformative technology innovation in the consumer device, aerospace and defense, data center, cloud, telecommunications, transportation, industrial automation and healthcare industries. Through trusted customer and industry relationships, unrivaled engineering expertise, and product quality and reliability, Molex realizes the infinite potential of Creating Connections for Life. For more information, visit www.molex.com.