As we all know, data centers can use many kinds of optical modules and high-speed SFP cables such as AOC, DAC, AEC, ACC, etc. This article discusses why AOC is chosen?
Optimized physical performance
AOC fiber cable material makes it lighter than copper cables with the same transmission capacity (such as DAC), reducing the space occupied and load-bearing pressure of wiring in the cabinet.
AOC fiber is more flexible than copper wires, making it easier to bend and route in dense wiring environments, improving cabinet space utilization.
High-speed long-distance transmission capability
Fiber active cable can stably transmit high-bandwidth data such as 40G, 100G, 200G, 400G, 800G to meet the computing power requirements of scenarios such as AI training and real-time reasoning.
With OM3 OM4 multimode fiber cable, the transmission distance of 200G AOC cable can reach 70-100 meters, far exceeding the 7-meter limit of DAC copper cable.
Anti-interference and signal stability
Anti-electromagnetic interference (EMI): Because AOC cable use active optical cable, the optical fiber characteristics are not affected by electromagnetic environment interference, which can ensure signal integrity in the high density equipment environment of the data center.
The AOC network cable integrates optical transceivers and emitter, the photoelectric conversion process is highly consistent, and the insertion loss, return loss fluctuation is smaller than the solution of pluggable optical modules with fiber patch cables.
Energy efficiency and operation and maintenance advantages
Compared with DAC cables, active optical cable AOC consumes less energy at the same transmission rate, which is in line with the green energy-saving trend of data centers.
AOC cabling is plug-and-play, without independent optical modules, reducing failure points and reducing operation and maintenance complexity.
Scenario adaptation flexibility
AOC cable can be the same aoc connectors at both sides or different interfaces like AOC breakout cable. For example, 100G AOC cable can be split into 4 x 25G AOC cable (QSFP28-4XQSFP28 AOC Cable, part no. QSFP 100G AOC5M), which can flexibly adapt to the port requirements of different devices.
Compatible with multiple interfaces: Active optical cable assembly can Supports mainstream interfaces such as QSFP-DD, QSFP56, HDMI, etc., and directly connects to server/switch equipment.
Conclusion
AOC cable has become a core interconnect solution for data centers to cope with high-density computing power requirements and achieve efficient expansion due to its lightweight design, high-bandwidth and low-latency transmission, strong anti-interference and low power consumption. It is especially suitable for emerging business scenarios such as AI and big data.
