Increased throughput and flexibility requirements in large-scale electronic equipment create needs for increased interconnection density capacity and re-configurability. The growing demand for new broadband interactive telecom and computer services is expected to enforce this development, which presents a challenge to traditional electronic interconnection techniques and an opportunity for new optical solutions, provided that the cost of introduction of the optical technology is affordable for both system operators and service users. The authors describe a complete sub-system of parallel optical interconnects (i.e., a total solution including the link itself and the equipment practice supporting the link) which exhibits both cost and performance benefits compared to a pure electrical or a serial optical solution.