Start of mass production of 13824 count optical fiber cable featuring one of the world’s highest fiber densities

Furukawa Electric Group company Lightera has started mass production of 13824 count optical fiber cable for hyperscale data centers featuring one of the world’s highest fiber densities. Also, within the Mie Works (Kameyama City, Mie Prefecture) of Furukawa Electric, the No. 2 plant has been equipped with a production system specialized for ultra-high count optical fiber cable, and operations at the plant have commenced. With this expanded production system, the company will more stably and agilely respond to hyperscale data center needs for high density and large volume.

Following the rapid increase in data center traffic brought about by the widespread use of generative AI and cloud services, along with the need for larger optical transmission volumes, there has been a shift toward ultra-high count optical fiber cable products due to limited optical fiber installation space within the data centers.
Within this trend, we are providing ultra-high count optical fiber cable that adopts our unique rollable ribbon technology (intermittent connection-type ribbon fiber core). However, in order to respond to the needs of hyperscale data centers for increased transmission volumes following expansion of the equipment and facilities, we have worked to establish a system for the development and mass production of new products.

We have started mass production of our 13824 count optical fiber cable for hyperscale data centers featuring one of the world’s highest fiber densities. This cable has twice the transmission capacity as existing cables, and the diameter of the cable has been limited to less than 40mm by increasing the fiber density through the use of rollable ribbons that intermittently connect 16 thin fibers with a diameter of 200μm. This small size makes it possible to efficiently establish high-capacity optical fiber networks within limited space. Because this cable supports VSFF (Very Small Form Factor) connectors^(note), it contributes to smaller, higher density connections. In addition, its indoor/outdoor feature enables the establishment of GPU clusters connecting multiple data center buildings. Also, within Furukawa Electric’s Mie Works, the No. 2 plant specialized in the production of ultra-high count optical fiber cable, including the 13824 count cable, has opened and commenced full-scale operations in February. It is now possible to mass produce the lineup of ultra-high count optical fiber cable, including 13824 count cable, and production capacity has more than doubled compared to FY2023. Going forward, we will contribute to the evolution of networks in the generative AI era, as well as increased density/larger volume at data centers, by providing ultra-high count optical fiber cable and promoting the development of related technology.

Lightera is a global joint venture of the Optical Solutions Division, consisting of Lightera Japan Co., Ltd., Lightera, LLC (U.S.), and Lightera LatAm S.A. With operational headquarters in Norcross, Georgia, U.S.A., Lightera serves customers across telecommunications, enterprise, industrial, generative AI, data centers, 5G/6G, utilities, medical, aerospace, defense, and sensing markets.