Global AI, cloud, and fiber-network investments are accelerating, with Southeast Asia emerging as a key growth region. Explore market drivers, challenges, and future optical-connectivity trends.

Our latest blog dives deep into the unprecedented volatility and demand that Artificial Intelligence has unleashed on the fiber optic cabling industry.
From hyperscale data centers needing 10x more fiber to the relentless pursuit of ultra-low latency for real-time AI, the impact has been monumental. We’re talking 800G becoming the new standard, and a strategic scramble for space, speed, and energy efficiency across the board.
For our Tier 1 and Tier 2 partners, this means navigating a double-edged sword: immense growth coupled with intense pressure to innovate and scale. We break down the challenges—from the thermal wall to the quantum security imperative—and look ahead to the revolutionary solutions required, including Co-Packaged Optics (CPO), Near-Package Optics (NPO), and robotic automation.

Shenzhen, 2025 – As our world becomes increasingly reliant on unmanned aerial vehicles, the need for secure, high-bandwidth, and unjammable communication methods has never been more critical. While radio frequency (RF) communication has been the backbone of drone operations, its vulnerabilities to jamming, interference, and limited bandwidth are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. Enter fiber optic drones, a groundbreaking innovation that’s set to revolutionize how we control and communicate with these versatile machines.

With the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC), the heat density of data center racks has been continuously increasing, and traditional air-cooling methods can no longer meet the demands of ultra-high-power workloads. Industry reports indicate that current GPU clusters can exceed rack power levels of 100 kW under full load, and air cooling faces the risk of thermal runaway. Liquid cooling leverages the high thermal conductivity and heat capacity of liquids to replace air for heat dissipation, significantly reducing data center energy consumption, improving cooling efficiency, and lowering noise and total cost of ownership. Practices have shown that liquid cooling can reduce a data center’s PUE to below 1.2 while decreasing energy and water consumption throughout its lifecycle.

As a Product Line Manager at ADTEK, I’ve had a front-row seat to the evolution of optical connectivity for years. Sometimes, I find myself joking with my team that the emergence of MPO and parallel optics in the early 2000s, while a game-changer at the time, feels like “peanuts” compared to what’s happening right now. The sheer scale and speed of innovation are truly unprecedented.

The exponential growth of AI and High-Performance Computing (HPC) is placing unprecedented demands on data center infrastructure, particularly the physical layer. As fiber counts soar, efficient installation, deployment, and ongoing management of high-density fiber optic cable assemblies become paramount. As an OEM/ODM, we understand these challenges intimately and continuously refine our approaches. This article explores key best practices and innovative approaches to optimize your data center’s fiber backbone, drawing insights from industry leaders.

AI applications – especially large language models and deep learning – are dramatically increasing data center demands for compute, storage, and networking. Analysts estimate that global data creation will double over the next five years, and AI alone is expected to drive data center storage from ~10.1 ZB in 2023 to ~21.0 ZB by 2027 (≈18.5% CAGR)

Installing last-mile fiber often feels like an obstacle course. Crews race against weather and permits – pulling cables through muddy streets, cramped basements, or downspouts in pouring rain. Every step is painstaking: digging new ducts or unlocking hardened enclosures; measuring and splicing each fragile strand by hand. Traditional methods are slow and labor-intensive. For example, one field report found that adding even a single fusion splice could turn a cabinet install from 6–9 hours into 2-5 hours. Across the industry, operators list the biggest headaches: site access delays, extreme environments, limited space, meager crews, and finicky connectors. Key pain points include:

Last-mile fiber builds face a unique set of real-world hurdles beyond core network issues. Local permitting and coordination often add months or years to a build. For example, utility pole attachment approvals can take months or even years, creating critical path delays for broadband projects[1]. One recent analysis noted U.S. infrastructure projects (including broadband) can be delayed 5–10 years by regulatory reviews[2]. These bottlenecks not only hold up service rollout but also inflate costs and risk losing time-limited funding.

In theory, fiber-optic lines (shown as glowing conduits) run along streets and into each residence, delivering gigabit-class service directly from central networks to homes. In practice, laying these last-mile fibers involves extensive planning and labor – often making this segment the most expensive part of a deploymentppc-online.com. Real-world rollouts must navigate complex terrain, right-of-way constraints.