All Articles

Are your data center investments silently underperforming?

While enterprises invest heavily in high-performance servers, GPUs, and storage, many overlook a critical weak link: the network. Even minor latency or bandwidth issues can lead to massive inefficiencies—wasting energy, reducing ROI, and degrading performance.

• The Hidden Bottlenecks in Your Infrastructure – See how network constraints are limiting the performance of your GPU, memory, and storage investments.
• The 45% Energy Waste You're Paying For – Learn how lack of network performance forces hardware to consume maximum power while delivering minimal results.
• The AI Amplification Effect – Understand how AI workloads turn minor network issues into major resource drains, extending training times from hours to days while GPU investments idle.

This whitepaper from ProLabs reveals how to identify and eliminate hidden inefficiencies in your infrastructure.

The Hidden Bottleneck: Network Performance

High-performance computing resources often sit idle due to slow or outdated network infrastructure.

Latency, jitter, and packet loss can negate the benefits of expensive hardware.

Real-world examples show how simple network upgrades dramatically improve utilization.

Energy Waste and Sustainability Risks

Data centers consume massive power, but underperforming networks reduce productive output per kilowatt-hour.

Optimizing network throughput can cut effective energy use by up to 45%.

As such, sustainability mandates make this inefficiency financially and ethically unsustainable.

AI & HPC: The Amplification Effect

AI workloads demand massive data movement—exposing network weaknesses.

Bottlenecks lead to longer training times, higher costs, and reduced model accuracy.

Network optimization is essential to maximize GPU ROI and meet SLAs.

Storage and Memory: Capacity Without Access

Fast storage and memory are wasted if data can’t move efficiently. And backup and recovery times are often dominated by network speed, not storage performance.

Memory caching and in-memory databases suffer from stale or delayed data.

Security Trade-offs and Compliance Risks

Performance issues often lead to dangerous workarounds: disabling encryption, bypassing inspection points, etc.

These compromises increase vulnerability and violate compliance standards like NIS2 and DORA.

A performant network eliminates the need for risky shortcuts.

The ProLabs Approach to Network Optimization

Precision-engineered transceivers and cables reduce error rates and boost throughput.

Modern topologies and protocol tuning unlock hidden capacity.

ProLabs helps organizations quantify and reclaim wasted resources.

Unlock the Full Value of Your Infrastructure

Your servers, GPUs, memory and storage are only as effective as the network that connects them.

Download this whitepaper to learn how to eliminate inefficiencies, reduce energy waste, and future-proof your data center.

Optimize your network. Reclaim your resources. Drive performance.

As enterprises and storage networks scale to meet growing data throughput demands, the need for high-speed Fibre Channel solutions with legacy support is more critical than ever.

ProLabs SFP56 64G Fibre Channel SW transceiver fills this gap by delivering 64G FC performance while maintaining interoperability with existing 16G and 32G Fibre Channel infrastructures. It enables seamless upgrades network upgrades without requiring a full equipment overhaul.

SFP56 64G Fibre Channel SW

Features & Benefits:

• Multi-rate support for 64G, 32G, and 16G Fibre Channel data rates.
• Ensures short-reach connectivity up to 100m over multimode fiber.
• Reduces cost compared to OEM optics while offering seamless integration.
• Avoid delays with readily available stock and fast shipping from our U.S. and U.K. locations.
• Backed by a lifetime warranty, guaranteeing long-lasting reliability and peace of mind.

Upgrade your Fibre Channel network with OEM-compatible 64G transceivers. Contact us today.

Are you confused by the difference between SFP, SFP+, SFP28, QSFP+, and QSFP28 transceivers? You’re not alone.

As networks scale to meet the demands of cloud computing, AI, and edge services, choosing the right transceiver, with the correct acronym has never been more important.

In this guide, we break down the differences between these modules and help you make the best decision for your infrastructure—whether you're upgrading a legacy system, increasing the bandwidth of a modern network or building a future-ready data center.

What Are Optical Transceivers and Why Do They Matter?

Optical transceivers are the backbone of modern networking. These compact, hot-swappable modules plug into switches, routers, and servers to enable high-speed data transmission over fiber or copper.

Key Functions:

• Signal Conversion: Convert electrical signals to optical signals and vice versa
• Protocol Flexibility: Support Ethernet, Fiber Channel, InfiniBand, and more
• Scalability: Allow networks to scale bandwidth without replacing core hardware

Why They Matter:

• Enable long-distance, high-bandwidth communication
• Reduce downtime with hot-swappable design
• Offer flexibility in network design and upgrades

What are SFP Transceivers?

SFP (Small Form-factor Pluggable) Transceivers - as a concept, are modules that are compact, hot-swappable pluggables used for both telecommunication and data communications applications.

Breaking Down the Transceiver Types

SFP (1G)

Basic SFP supports speeds up to 1.25 Gbps and are ideal for legacy systems or low-bandwidth applications.

Speed: Up to 1.25 Gbps

Use Case: Legacy systems, industrial networks

Connector: LC or RJ45

Distance: Variants: SR (short range, 100m), LR (long range, 10Km), ER (extended range, 40Km), ZR (80Km), ZR+ (Up to 160 km)

SFP+ (10G)

SFP+ is an enhanced (slightly larger) version of an SFP, supporting up to 10 Gbps. It’s widely used in enterprise and data center networks for 10G Ethernet and Fiber Channel applications. SFP+  ports are backward compatible with SFP modules, making them a flexible upgrade path.

Speed: 10 Gbps

Use Case: Enterprise core, SANs, Top of Rack (ToR) switches

Backward Compatible: With SFP (at 1G speeds)

Variants: SR (short range, 100m), LR (long range, 10Km), ER (extended range, 40Km), ZR (Zero Dispersion Shifted Range, 80Km)

SFP28 (25G)

SFP28 supports 25 Gbps per lane and are physically identical to SFP and SFP+. It’s optimized for 25G Ethernet and is a key building block for 100G networks (4x25G). SFP28 offers higher bandwidth without sacrificing port density, making it ideal for modern data centers.

Speed: 25 Gbps

Use Case: Modern access layers, 100G aggregation (4x25G)

Form Factor: Same as SFP/SFP+

Benefits: Higher bandwidth without sacrificing port density

Backwards compatibility: SFP28 is backwards compatible and will work at 10G and 25G

QSFP+ (40G)

QSFP+ (Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable Plus) supports 4x10G lanes, delivering 40 Gbps total bandwidth. It’s commonly used in spine-leaf architectures and high-performance computing environments. QSFP+ modules often use MPO connectors and support both SR4 and LR4 variants.

Speed: 40 Gbps (4x10G lanes)

Use Case: Spine switches, HPC, metro aggregation

Connector: MPO or LC

Breakout: Can split into 4x10G SFP+ links

Backwards compatibility: Technically not backwards compatible although we offer adaptors that allow a 10G SFP+ to be used in a QSFP+ port. However, success in adaptation is dependent upon factors outside of the control of the transceiver.

QSFP28 (100G)

QSFP28 supports 4x25G lanes, totaling 100 Gbps. It’s the go-to transceiver for 100G Ethernet, offering high density and low power consumption. QSFP28 is backward compatible with QSFP+ ports (at 40G speeds), making it a future-proof investment.

Speed: 100 Gbps (4x25G lanes)

Use Case: Hyperscale data centers, AI/ML clusters

Backward Compatible: With QSFP+ (at 40G)

Efficiency: High density, low power, future-proof

Backwards compatibility: backwards compatible with QSFP+ pluggables

Choosing the Correct Transceiver

Here we explain which is right for your environment

How to Choose the Right Transceiver

Bandwidth Needs

• 1G for legacy or low-traffic environments
• 10G for standard enterprise workloads
• 25G/100G/200G/400G/800G for modern, high-performance networks

Distance & Environment

• SR for intra-rack or short links
• LR for inter-building or metro links
• Consider temperature and ruggedization for industrial use

Compatibility

• Check switch/router model compatibility
• ProLabs offers 100% OEM interoperability

Cost Efficiency

• SFP28 and QSFP28 offer best cost-per-bit
• Breakout cables reduce port costs while increasing flexibility

Future-Proofing

• Choose transceivers that support modular upgrades
• QSFP28 with breakout to 4x25G is ideal for scalable growth

Future-Proof Your Network with ProLabs

As your network grows, your transceivers should scale with it. Whether you're transitioning from 10G to 25G or building a 100G backbone, or want to scale your HPC performance with the latest 400G or 800G modules. ProLabs delivers high-quality, rigorously tested, and fully compatible optical solutions.

Understanding the differences between SFP, SFP+, SFP28, QSFP+, and QSFP28 is key to building efficient, scalable networks. At ProLabs, we are the OEM alternative, offering high-quality, cost-effective transceivers that meet and exceed your performance needs without the traditional and  costly vendor lock-in.

With global logistics, expert support, and commitment to value-led performance, ProLabs helps you build networks that are not only fast—but future-ready.

As data centers and enterprises upgrade to 50G infrastructure, the lack of backward compatibility with legacy 10G/25G optics often leads to increased capital costs. Our OEM-compatible SFP56 50G SR and LR transceivers provide a practical solution, supporting both short-reach and long-reach use cases while maintaining interoperability with NRZ-based networks. This makes it easier to scale bandwidth without overhauling your entire environment.

SFP56 50G SR

Features & Benefits:

• Seamlessly integrates with Cisco network environments to ensure smooth deployment.
• Delivers high-performance 50G transmission over OM4 MMF for distances up to 100m.
• Optimized for high-density applications where space and performance are critical.
• Avoid delays with readily available stock and fast shipping from our U.S. & U.K. locations.
• Backed by a lifetime warranty, guaranteeing long-lasting reliability and peace of mind.

SFP56 50G LR

Features & Benefits:

• Enables 50G throughput in traditional SFP density and cost-saving form factor.
• Perfect for migrating from legacy 10G/25G NRZ to 50G PAM4.
• Multi-rate support offers backward compatibility with 10G/25G NRZ.
• Tested for reliability in high-density optics, backed with a lifetime warranty.
• Choose between fixed-rate (optimized cost) and multi-rate (backward compatibility) options.

Take advantage of our OEM-compatible SFP56 50G optics. Contact us today for a quote.