Credo Introduces Industry's First 224G Multiprotocol AI Scale-Up Retimer Supporting UALink, ESUN and Ethernet
Enables Flexible Backplane Architecture for AI Scale-Up Networking Applications
Credo Technology Group Holding Ltd (Credo) (NASDAQ:CRDO), an innovator in providing connectivity at scale through fast, reliable, and energy-efficient system solutions, today announced its Blue Heron 224G AI scale-up retimer, optimized to support the growing need for extended cable and PCB backplane links using UALink, ESUN, and Ethernet protocols.
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Credo's Blue Heron 224G AI scale-up retimer is optimized to support the growing need for extended cable and PCB backplane links using UALink, ESUN and Ethernet protocols.
Key points:
- Credo's Blue Heron 224G AI scale-up retimer supports multiple protocols that include UALink, ESUN, and Ethernet.
- Blue Heron allows full recovery of a 40+dB 224G link to enable rack-scale cable backplanes and flexible placement of GPUs and switch ICs to support AI scale-up applications.
- Blue Heron is built in an advanced 3nm process using Credo's high-performance 224G SerDes.
224G scale-up cable backplanes have a challenging electrical budget which has limited them to a half rack of span, forcing GPU and switch ICs to be physically located at the back of trays. Blue Heron is a multiprotocol retimer which enables full recovery of a 40+dB 224G link. With Blue Heron, system integrators can architect rack-scale cable backplanes as well as flexible tray placement of GPUs and switch ICs to support AI scale-up applications.
Blue Heron is built in an advanced 3nm process using Credo's high-performance 224G SerDes. This SerDes incorporates an advanced 30-Tap FFE architecture and additional 16-Taps for reflection cancellation, enabling extended reach up to 40+dB for long-reach cable and PCB backplane applications.
"The fast-growing scale-up market consists of a diversity of scale-up protocols such as UALink, ESUN and Ethernet which converge at layer 1 on the 224G 802.3 standard," said Sandeep Shah, AVP of Product for Credo's Retimer Products. "Credo's leading Blue Heron 224G retimer can support all of these standards enabling a simple, multi-protocol solution for customers."
"UALink is experiencing rapid growth, demanding robust interconnect solutions critical for emerging AI workloads," said Kurtis Bowman, UALink Board Chair and AMD Director of System Architecture. "By supporting UALink, Credo's new retimer is a crucial building block for next-generation AI and compute infrastructure. This forward-looking solution not only addresses current bandwidth needs but also paves the way for future innovation and scalability within the UALink ecosystem."1
"As AI systems evolve toward increasingly heterogeneous architectures, the ability to interconnect accelerators at massive scale through a unified network fabric becomes fundamental," said Aravind Srikumar, SVP of Product & Marketing at Upscale AI. "By supporting Ethernet, Ultra Accelerator Link (UAL), and Ethernet for Scale-Up Networking (ESUN) in a single device, Credo's Blue Heron 224G retimer is a critical building block for Upscale AI's SkyHammer-enabled solutions, enabling massive, heterogeneous scale-up AI clusters in our shared objective to further advance open standards and customer choice across the AI network."
"We project that the scale-up networking market will reach over $40B by 2030, driven by rack-scale architectures and built on multiple fabrics, not just one," said Alan Weckel, Founder and Analyst, 650 Group. "Credo's Blue Heron retimer provides the high-speed, long-reach, and low-latency connectivity needed for rack-scale AI applications while also supporting multiple protocols for flexibility and quick deployment."
Key Features of Credo's Blue Heron AI Scale-Up Retimer
- 224G LR Retimer / Gearbox supporting UALink, ESUN, Ethernet
- Mission mode FEC monitoring to actively monitor link health
- Advanced telemetry features
- Seamless integration with Credo PILOT debug GUI
To learn more about the Credo products in this release, visit the product page linked here.
Product Availability
Blue Heron is sampling now with production quantities available in CQ3 2026.
About Credo
Credo's mission is to transform connectivity at scale through fast, reliable, and energy-efficient system solutions. Our high-speed copper and optical interconnect products deliver industry-leading power and performance at up to 1.6T to meet the ever-expanding data infrastructure demands of AI.
Our product portfolio includes ZeroFlap (ZF) Active Electrical Cables (AECs) and ZF optical transceivers, OmniConnect memory solutions, and a suite of retimers and DSPs for optical and copper Ethernet and PCIe, all leveraging the PILOT diagnostic and analytics software platform. Credo innovations enable our customers to connect the systems that connect the world.
For more information, please visit https://www.credosemi.com. Follow Credo on LinkedIn.
Credo and the Credo logo are registered trademarks of Credo Technology Group Limited in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other trademarks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners.
1 Credo has been a contributing member of the UALink Consortium since its inception in late 2024.
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