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.
Charlottesville,
VA, USA (June 27, 2014) -- 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. CIR has
also recently published an analysis and forecast of the market for
AOCs for applications in personal computing, consumer electronics and
digital signage.
More
details about this report can be found at:
http://www.cir-inc.com/reports/active-optical-cable-markets-and-opportunities-2014-to-2024-volume-i-data-c.
About
the report:
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.
From
the report:
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.
We
also expect to see more activity in AOCs that use the
highest-performance modules. Such AOCs are not easy to make and this
presents barriers to entry into the data center markets for smaller,
less able AOC firms; providing market protection for the largest
suppliers. The markets for such high-end AOCs are also not
inconsiderable. CFP and CDFP together are expected to generate $190
million in revenues by 2019. Indeed, we think that the proverbial
"next big thing" in the AOC space will be CDFP AOCs and
expect to see such products prominently displayed at the OFC, ECOC
and SC trade shows in 2015. For now, the three companies to watch in
this space are Finisar, Molex and TE Connectivity, all of which have
already introduced CDFP AOCs.
Nonetheless,
throughout the period considered in this report, the "workhorse"
QSFP and CXP AOCs will be the biggest revenue earners, with combined
sales of $1.3 billion in 2019. These MSAs support both the Ethernet
and IB protocols that are core to any data center and at data rates
that are likely to be the ones most used in data centers over the
next decade. The earliest QSFP AOCs catered to the 10-Gbps market,
but the QSFP AOC business is now centered around the 40-Gbps
opportunity. CXP can support 100 GigE or three 40-GigE channels. At
this point almost every firm offering a range of AOCs includes CXP
options.
About
CIR:
Communications
Industry Researchers has been publishing hype-free industry analysis
for the optical networking industry for almost 25 years. We have
provided market coverage of Active Optical Cables (AOCs) for six
years. Our annual reports on this topic are widely regarded as the
most authoritative market forecast and technology assessment in the
AOC space.
Visit
http://www.cir-inc.com
for a full listing of CIR's reports and other services.
Media
Contact:
Robert
Nolan
Ilumatech
5330
Twin Hickory Rd
Glen
Allen, Virginia 23059
(804)
938-0030
