It has been a while since my last blog, as I was busy preparing for and attending OFC. Afterward, I needed time to digest all the valuable insights I gathered. To be honest, getting started on this blog was daunting—I wasn’t sure which topic to address first, given the wealth of fascinating discussions at OFC. Unlike previous years, the focus wasn’t primarily on broadband; instead, AI connectivity took center stage, along with its vast bandwidth and low latency requirements.
I’ll cover topics such as Co-Packaged Optics, Multi-Core Fiber, and lens-based connectors in future blogs. But right now, the technology that impressed me the most in terms of maturity and potential is Hollow Core Fibers (HCF).
The Progress and Potential of HCF
HCF has come a long way from a technical, production, and deployment perspective. Cable production has now reached lengths of 100km, with projections exceeding 200km soon, at a quality and price point that makes commercial viability a reality. The NAND-R design appears to enable consistent production, achieving sub 0.1dB/km insertion loss (IL) and excellent non-linearity, making it possible to utilize a broader bandwidth spectrum.
Deployment limitations are now well understood, allowing us to define optimal application scenarios. For instance:
Despite these challenges, major hyperscalers are recognizing HCF’s advantages for data center interconnectivity (DCI), while telecom service providers see its potential for extending metro and rural links.
Key Application Scenarios
Given current limitations in fiber length and gas absorption effects on long-distance applications, the most promising use cases are inter-data-center (IDC) connectivity. HCF’s low latency and improved non-linearity allow data centers to be placed farther apart while staying within acceptable delay limits for application replication. Additionally, HCF offers future-proofing benefits, enabling increased bandwidth without requiring compensation for linearity limitations at high speeds.
An exciting advantage of HCF is its compatibility with standard arc splicers—though it requires extra care, making deployment significantly easier. This same principle supports its use in broadband metro networks and remote rural networks, where it allows active equipment to be installed farther from end applications. This approach simplifies network architecture while reducing costs, all while ensuring scalability for future bandwidth demands.
Current Challenges
Of course, HCF is not without its drawbacks:
Final Thoughts
I’m genuinely excited about the potential of HCF and eager to explore product development in this space. This technology offers immense benefits—from reducing CAPEX and OPEX for service providers to minimizing reliance on central offices and active equipment, all while contributing to the development of a more resilient AI infrastructure.
Have you worked with HCF? I’d love to hear your experiences—feel free to share your thoughts, whether you agree or disagree with my perspective!
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Shenzhen ADTEK Technology Co., Ltd., founded in 2007, is a national high-tech enterprise that integrates R&D, manufacturing, and sales. As a leading provider of optical connectivity solutions, ADTEK brings over 18 years of design and manufacturing experience, specializing in customized fiber optic connectivity products for domestic and international telecom operators, cloud service providers, equipment manufacturers, and system integrators.
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