Central Cloud
Data Center
Latency > 100 ms 20 ms < 10 ms
FIGURE 1: Latency to the edge.
8 I ICT TODAY
Backhaul to the
Internet
Network Edge
Data Center
Customer &
Application Edge
Some industry analysts predict that the global population
of hyperscale facilities, today numbering in the high hundreds,
could grow to over 10,000. Driven by the need for
low latency (Figure 1) and redundancy, what will emerge
is a mass mesh of interconnected clusters of cloud
data centers.
It is not only hyperscale data centers that will
underpin this future. Retail and colocation providers act
as today’s edge for hyperscalers, bringing their end customers
closer to their end applications. Wholesale colocations
provide a way for hyperscalers and other large content
providers to achieve a regional self-aligned footprint.
And of course, there are the mixed strategies enabled by
colocation facilities where hyperscalers, smaller enterprises,
and service providers come together in a targeted
location. Common to all of these is the need to provide
a level of interconnection through a vast, deep, and rich
optical fiber infrastructure.
THE OPTICAL FIBER INFRASTRUCTURE
FOR THE MODERN DATA CENTER
The fiber infrastructure, made up of cables with
thousands of fibers and millions of connections,
ties together clusters of data centers, often across hundreds
of kilometers.Within each cluster reside multiple
data centers, thereby providing resiliency, redundancy,
and regional storage.
To achieve this level of high-density interconnection,
installers need to work with cables where a per-cable fiber
count of 6,912 fibers is not out of the ordinary. Laying
cables of this size and density is a challenge in and of
itself, coupled with the need for potentially hundreds
of splices and thousands of connectors. Limited duct
space between clusters and buildings creates an installation
nightmare and can consume a significant amount
of time. Installers’ key differentiator becomes their ability
to deliver fast, reliable installations for Day 1 success. To
address these challenges, optical fiber and cable manufacturers
spend hundreds of millions of dollars in research
to develop new solutions that decrease overall cable size
and increase density-per-square-meter, while focusing
on improving ease-of-use.
For the densities required by the data center, optical
fiber ribbon solutions are key because they enable easier
overall cable management and the ability to perform
mass fusion splicing. Some modern cable designs combine
The fiber infrastructure, made up of cables with thousands of fibers
and millions of connections, ties together clusters of data centers,
often across hundreds of kilometers.