• IEEE 802.3cd 100GBASE-DR compliance guarantees interoperability with any vendor's 100G DR port implementing the same standard, including breakout compatibility with 400GBASE-DR4 ports
• PAM4 modulation at 53.125 GBd on a single wavelength simplifies cabling to two fibres instead of eight required by parallel optics like SR4 or PSM4, reducing fibre count and patch panel density
• Onboard DSP-based gearbox with integrated retimer and FEC block converts 4x25G NRZ host signals to 1x100G PAM4 optical signal, ensuring signal integrity at extended reach
• Media-side RS (544,514) FEC corrects pre-FEC bit error ratios and is required for reliable PAM4 operation; host-side CAUI-4 interface operates without FEC
• EML transmitter with cooled laser and PIN photodiode receiver deliver 3 dB minimum link budget, sufficient for 500m over standard G.652 single-mode fibre under typical attenuation conditions
• Hot-swappable QSFP28 MSA form factor with duplex LC/UPC connectors supports field replacement without powering down the host platform
• DOM via I2C interface provides real-time monitoring of transmit/receive optical power, module temperature, laser bias current, and supply voltage for proactive link health management