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The shortage of G.657A2 bare optical fiber in 2026 has become the biggest challenge since the beginning of the year, causing significant uncertainty and changes throughout the entire industry chain.
Currently, not only is G657A2 in short supply, but due to production capacity limitations, G657A1 and G652D optical fibers are also in short supply, leading to price increases for various fiber-related products like fiber patch cord, fiber splitter, and fiber optic cables, etc. The most scarce are 50.4km and 60.4km per roll bare optical fibers for long distances. Why is this?
Below, yingda will explain the reasons for you in details.
This phenomenon is mainly caused by four core factors, the most important of which is the contradiction between the demand for large-scale AI computing cluster construction and optical fiber production standards.
The Need for Long-Distance Interconnection in AI Clusters
As computing centers evolve from single-unit data centers to “campus-wide” or “city-wide” clusters, high-speed interconnection between multiple data center buildings is required. To ensure signal transmission quality and reduce latency caused by repeaters, manufacturers tend to use long-distance fiber optic cable reels without connectors.
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Reducing Loss and Splice Points
In high-performance computing networks, each fiber optic splicing point introduces approximately 0.05dB to 0.1dB of loss. For links as long as 50-60km, using traditional 2km or 10km cable lengths for splicing results in accumulated link loss and reflections that severely impact the transmission distance of high-speed optical modules such as 400G/800G.
The Physical Limits of Fiber Optic Drawing Tower Technology
Currently, mainstream fiber optic drawing towers typically produce preforms drawn in one go, with a single reel length between 50km and 70km, while maintaining geometric consistency and low loss. 50.4km or 60km is often the optimal production length for manufacturers while ensuring uniform attenuation across the entire reel.
Overseas Engineering Standards and Customization
This precise figure of 50.4km usually stems from specific overseas engineering specifications (e.g., 24 segments per 2.1km section) or the cabling design of submarine cables/special terrestrial cables. Because this type of long fiber has extremely high requirements for preform quality, the yield (yield rate) is much lower than that of ordinary specifications, making it most prone to shortages when market demand surges.
Conclusion
The market doesn’t lack fiber, but rather this high-performance, high-continuity, low-loss “long-reel single-mode fiber,” as it is a critical consumable material connecting the arteries of modern AI data centers.
Are you planning for Data Center Interconnect (DCI) or monitoring related supply chain trends?
