New game-changing technologies like AI, IoT, quantum, and 5G need an enormous amount of data and they need it fast. Fiber is the only medium that can provide the speed, scalability, and low latency to meet today’s demands and tomorrow's growth. The result is a boom in fiber across the IT landscape which started within the data center and is now expanding both inward and outward to accelerate connectivity and reduce power consumption.
Enable artificial intelligence through versatile fiber
The rise of large language models (LLMs) has kicked off an AI arms race. Training such models requires massive amounts of data flowing through the data center. After training, enterprises build services incorporating those models into their own processes, such as the pharmaceutical industry using AI to develop new medications.
The need for data speed to train and run AI models has pushed connectivity to unprecedented levels, with transmission speeds of up to 1.6 Tbps and connectivity between data centers and enterprises at 20 Gbps to 100 Gbps and faster. Enterprises need both high speed and low latency, especially for real-time applications such as industrial IoT services and process monitoring.
To reach higher speeds, new innovations in photonics are driving out legacy copper connectivity within racks and servers, replacing them with optical links. Already new data center designs are built with inter-bay fiber (fiber connections between different bays or cabinet) and intra-bay (fiber connections within the same bay or cabinet) fiber connectivity to deliver peak performance and allow seamless upgrades in the future. Integrating optical technologies at the server and rack levels increases throughput while reducing power consumption, enabling server designers to achieve the cost and cooling savings while supporting higher GPU densities.
Quantum researchers are embracing fiber, leveraging the existing telecom ecosystem for its low cost and standardization. Fiber is becoming the foundation of a distinctly new IT infrastructure that will supplement, not replace, other cloud computing resources.
Simplify fiber deployment across wireless networks
Moving beyond the data center, the combination of IoT, 5G, and forthcoming 6G requires fiber to support the steady increase of data from edge devices ranging from CCTV cameras to autonomous vehicles and drones. It may seem counterintuitive, but faster cellular technologies are driving more – not less – fiber deployment. The data generated and transmitted through these bandwidth hungry applications must be backhauled to the core network, and fiber is the conduit that can handle this task.
As operators answer the demand for higher speeds by building 5G and 6G services, these network evolutions require more cell towers to support the capacity, coverage, and faster device speed requirements. Only fiber can meet these demands while supporting low latency requirements and greater densification. Everything at the edge needs to connect back to the data center to feed AI applications and return the results to end-users, whether enterprises or consumers.
Fiber is the only technology that can power the continued growth of AI, IoT, quantum, and 5G/6G. It is not dependent upon or limited by the availability and quirks of RF technologies and is continually being improved to meet the world’s ever-increasing needs.
It's not just the hyperscalers and large wireless carriers. Many regional ISPs and telcos are naturally moving into the data center and wireless business in varying degrees to better serve customers. Clearfield's modular, flexible fiber platform offers solutions to reach these goals. As a result, you don't have to search for entirely new products just because you're tackling new challenges.
From cell towers and wireless backhaul to data centers and edge computing, Clearfield has you covered as you build the future of connectivity.
Working on an innovative fiber deployment? Tell Clearfield how we can help.
Clearfield’s Chief Commercial Officer, Anis Khemakhem, is deeply passionate about technology, particularly in advancing fiber optics and telecommunications solutions. Throughout his career, he has consistently focused on leveraging cutting-edge technology to improve connectivity and enhance digital access across various sectors. His executive experience - including leadership positions at Clearfield, Amphenol and Carlisle Interconnect Technologies - demonstrates his executive engagement capabilities and capacity to handle complex, multi-stakeholder projects.