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New Report on Active Optical Cable Markets for Data Center Applications

Reviewed

Oct 7 2014

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Optical Data Center Markets: Volume I - Optical Opportunities Inside the Data Center" report to their offering.

According to a new report from Communications Industry Researchers, sales of active optical cables (AOCs) for the data center will produce $1.5 billion in revenues by 2019. The report Active Optical Cable Markets - Data Center Applications, is part of a two-volume set. The author has also recently published an analysis and forecast of the market for AOCs for applications in personal computing, consumer electronics and digital signage.

This report identifies and quantifies opportunities for selling AOCs for the data center. AOCs in this sector carry Ethernet, InfiniBand (IB), Fibre Channel and SAS. Specifically, the report provides coverage on AOCs supporting the CX4, SFP/SFP+, QSFP, CXP, CFP, CDFP, and SAS/Min-SAS MSAs. In addition, the report provides detailed nine-year forecasts of data center AOC markets, with breakouts by end-user application, interface standard, cable lengths, type of cable and wavelength. Forecasts are provided in units shipped and revenue terms.

This new CIR study also assesses the product/market strategies of the leading AOC suppliers including: 3M, 10GTEK, A3CUBE, Amphenol, Avago, Brocade, Centera Photonics, ConnPro, Eoptolink, FCI, Fiberon, Finisar, Fujikura, Gigalight, Fujitsu, Hitachi Cable, IBM, InnoLight, JDSU, Juniper Networks, Luxtera, Mellanox, Molex, Multilane, Samtec, Siemon, Sopto, Sumitomo, TE Connectivity, Volex

Data centers are getting bigger and are requiring much higher data-rate pipes and interconnects than ever before. Mobile broadband and video applications are flooding data centers with content and this creates a growing incentive to shift to fiber in at least part of the data center. It is becoming increasingly difficult for data center managers to avoid fiber optics and at the same time AOCs offer an excellent entry point for fiber optics to all but the most structured-cabling savvy network managers.

Chinese AOC suppliers are showing that they can compete with the best U.S., European and Japanese AOC suppliers. They are now able to supply 40 Gbps cables with ease and a few are offering 100-Gbps AOCs. A few years back CIR would have seen the whole optical engine concept as beyond the capabilities of Chinese suppliers. But today Gigalight is using optical engines as the basis for its optical data center products, and other Chinese firms are expected to follow suit.

The Chinese AOC challenge will require a strategic response from established AOC firms. This could take the form of better branding, improved supply chains or upgraded products. For example, the TE Connectivity line was upgraded in 2011 with 40-Gbps products that offered reduced power consumption and lighter-weight cables and other leading AOC firms will follow suit.

Key Topics Covered:

Executive Summary

Chapter One: Introduction

Chapter Two: Data Center Networking Trends Analysis

Chapter Three: Product Trends In the Optical Data Center

Chapter Four: Data Center Optics Suppliers to Watch

Chapter Five: Data Center Optics Five Year Forecasts

Acronyms and Abbreviations Used In this Report

About the Author

Companies Mentioned: