FIGURE 11: An illustration of edge computing.
While hyperscale cloud computing drives a centralized
computing model, edge computing swings the
pendulum back to distributed computing (Figure 11).19
Edge computing currently uses a mix of copper,
MMF, and SMF depending on size and choice of network
architecture. Future needs, changing architecture, and
the dramatic increase of local data traffic from the IoT
will likely require structured cabling and reaches that
continue to make MMF/VCSELs an effective option
in this rapidly growing market segment.
Co-Location Data Centers: In addition to hyperscale
and on-premises enterprise cloud data centers, co-location
Worldwide Multimode Fiber Demand Feb. 2018 CRU
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
October/November/December 2020 I 55
FIGURE 12: Worldwide MMF demand, 2014-2022.
data centers are another growing segment of the enterprise
cloud data center solution. Industry leaders use
a wide variety of network connectivity, including MMF,
in their colocation data centers.
MMF Forecast is Bright
The continued relevance and growth of 100 GbE MMF
modules and new 400 GbE MMF solutions support the
CRU market research projection of growth for MMF
shown in Figure 12.20
Singlemode optical fiber modules have become
increasingly relevant in the past few years, especially
in the large hyperscale data center where link distance