Two or more cross-connect ICs are interconnected. Each IC directly receives some, but not all, of the system inputs, and outputs to some, but not all, outputs. Each cross-connect IC has a switch matrix that has the same number of inputs as the system, and a lesser number of outputs that matches the number of outputs of the IC. Each cross-connect IC provides fanout of its direct inputs to a link to each other cross-connect IC. Thus, each IC receives inputs either directly, or from a fanout on another IC.