Active optical cable market size is projected to reach USD 18.96 billion by 2030

In the telecom business, active optical cables play a key role in allowing data to be carried at maximum speed and with the fewest potential errors. The world’s population is rapidly growing, necessitating the construction of more data centers and internet connectivity services. To meet this expanding network demand, effective communication cables, such as active optical cables, are required. Low weight for high port count layouts, short bend radius for easy installations, and low power consumption for a greener environment are only a few of the primary advantages provided by active optical cables.

Active optical cables (AOC) are more popular in developed areas like North America and Europe (the U.K, Russia, Germany, and France). On the other hand, active optical cables are quickly gaining popularity in developing regions like Asia-Pacific and Latin America, and the Caribbean. In developing countries, China, Japan, and India account for the majority of demand.

Increase in investment by government to improve connectivity globally to drive active optical cable market
Governments across the globe, particularly those in North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, are heavily investing in the expansion of fiber optic networks. Several governments are working to improve their regions’ network infrastructure, which improves connection within the region, expands business prospects, and raises the standard of living. Advances in the telecom industry have altered people’s communication habits and increased demand for AOCs.

China has invested $11.24 million in the construction of a cross-border optic fiber line for high-speed international connectivity, according to the Economic Affairs Division (EAD). In the coming years, increased connectivity in developing countries is projected to create chances for the active optical cable market to flourish.

Growth in demand for active optical cable in data center to generate new opportunities
Active optical cables are widely utilized in data centers to address the demand for increased bandwidth while consuming less power. In addition to active optical cable, the data center market requires a diverse portfolio of fiber optic modules to connect switches, servers, and storage. As a result, one of the primary drivers for the market is a growth in the number of data center deployments around the world. Due to a growth in demand for advanced technological data centers to store and preserve vital information, businesses are investing extensively in data center infrastructure. As a result, the data center market is likely to boost AOC demand in the future.

Data centers are currently facing significant bandwidth capacity difficulties as a result of the shift from 10Gb/s to 40Gb/s and 100Gb/s, as well as the resulting growth in visualization and cloud computing requirements. High-quality AOCs are being utilized to provide stability and eliminate air gaps, reflections, and insertion loss as the need to cut costs, interference, noise, and installation time grows.

New AOCs are being designed to perform better in adverse environments and to provide stability so that transmission can continue. These would solve the critical need for data center connectivity 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Impact of COVID-19
The COVID-19 scenario is producing stock market anxiety, a considerable supply chain slowness, a loss of company confidence, and an increase in panic among client sectors. The pandemic’s overall effect is impacting different industries’ manufacturing processes, including semiconductors and electronics. Trade barriers have made it much more difficult to estimate demand and supply. The overall production process has been impacted as a result of the government’s declarations of total lockdown and temporary suspension of industries in various countries.
The wireless communication industry is expected to see increased demand due to increased internet consumption, rising demand for cloud services, and video streaming.

In the medium to long term, COVID-19 is anticipated to feed the demand for digital transformation, including technologies like AI, 5G, intelligent edge computing, and IoT for future optimization.

Micron Technology, a semiconductor design and storage solutions firm based in the United States, has claimed that data center demand has surged due to the remote-work economy, greater gaming, and e-commerce activity around the world.

As a result of the COVID-19 crisis, automation and the deployment of Industry 4.0 technologies are expected to accelerate. In the future, remote production, diagnosis, and maintenance may become commonplace.

Regional insights
The active optical cable market is segmented into four regions: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America, Middle East & Africa.

The active optical cable market in Asia-Pacific is the fastest-growing. By 2030, the Asia-Pacific active optical cable market is expected to be valued at USD 4,573 million, growing at a 29% CAGR.

China, Japan, India, and Australia are the countries in the Asia-Pacific area that use AOCs the most. Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, and Hong Kong are among the other regions that have implemented AOCs on a considerable basis. The data center is a primary application driving fiber optics growth in the Asia-Pacific area, and it is likely to increase greatly in the future due to the growing demand for high bandwidth in businesses. For better and quicker video services and high-speed data, the Asian telecom sector is heading toward 4G and LTE services. Because of the large-scale implementation of fiber optic networks in Asia-Pacific, the need for high-performing AOCs has risen significantly.

In North America, fiber optics is the fastest-growing broadband technology. Telecom service providers in the region use active optical cables to permit the use of ‘plain old telephone service’ (POTS) across their countrywide networks. They also use active optic cables for long-distance data transfer. The use of active optic cables is fueled by the presence of a number of big firms, universities, government agencies, and banks in the region. These companies use inter-building and intra-building networks to transfer high-speed data securely and reliably within their private networks.

Key highlights

• The active optical cable market was valued at USD 2,297 million in 2021 and is anticipated to generate USD 18,965 million  by 2030. The market is expected to register growth at a CAGR of 28% during the assessment period.
• The global active optical cable market is segmented into technologies: InfiniBand, Ethernet, HDMI, DisplayPort, USB, and Others. The InfiniBand segment is expected to generate USD 5,999 million by 2030 at a CAGR of 24%.
• By connector type, the active optical cable market is classified into QSFP, CXP, CDFP, CFP, SFP, and others. The QSFP segment is anticipated to generate USD 8,232 million by 2030 at a CAGR of 27%.
• The active optical cable market is segmented into applications such as data center, high-performance computing, personal computing, digital signage, consumer electronics, and others. The data center segment held the greatest share of the market, with an anticipated value of 9,433 million by 2030 at a CAGR of 27% during the forecast period.

Business Wire