Credo Technology Group has introduced the industry’s first 224G multiprotocol AI scale-up retimer the Blue Heron 224G designed to support extended cable and PCB backplane links using UALink, ESUN, and Ethernet protocols, addressing one of the most pressing challenges in rack-scale AI architectures by enabling flexible placement of GPUs and switch ICs and full recovery of a 40+dB 224G link, which previously limited scale-up systems to half-rack spans. Built on an advanced 3 nm process using Credo’s high-performance 224G SerDes with a 30-Tap FFE architecture and additional reflection-cancellation taps, Blue Heron is engineered to overcome demanding electrical budgets and enable system integrators to architect rack-scale cable backplanes for demanding AI workloads while incorporating mission-mode FEC monitoring, advanced telemetry, and seamless integration with Credo’s PILOT debug GUI; the retimer is currently sampling with production quantities expected in CQ3 2026.
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“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.” Kurtis Bowman, UALink Board Chair and AMD Director of System Architecture, emphasized UALink’s rapid growth, noting that “UALink is experiencing rapid growth, demanding robust interconnect solutions critical for emerging AI workloads” and calling Credo’s retimer “a crucial building block for next-generation AI and compute infrastructure.,” while Aravind Srikumar, SVP of Product & Marketing at Upscale AI, highlighted its role in heterogeneous architectures by stating that 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,” and Alan Weckel, Founder and Analyst at 650 Group, projected that “the scale-up networking market will reach over $40B by 2030” with solutions like Blue Heron providing needed high-speed, long-reach, low-latency connectivity.