6 Things You Should Know About Active Optical Cable (AOC)

Data processing, storage, and transmission have all advanced rapidly as a result of the digital process. Rapidly expanding data networks necessitate high-efficiency, high-bandwidth, high-reliability, low-cost data transmission media. Therefore, The use of AOCs, or Active optical cables, is steadily rising.

Many readers may already be familiar with AOCs or Active optical cables. Nonetheless, we felt it was time for a quick instructional. The essay will go over some frequently asked topics about AOC cable.

What are Active Optical Cables (AOC)?

In layman’s words, an active fiber optic cable has modules at both ends of a fiber optic cable that allow direct communication between devices via the permanently linked fiber optic cable. It has fixed connectors on both ends and a specified length of cable. Active optical cable (AOC) is essentially a transceiver product permanently embedded in a fiber optic cable. AOC cables can be used for multi-line data communications, interconnecting applications, and accelerating storage, data, and high-performance computing.

 

What are Breakout Active Optical Cables (Breakout AOC)?

Breakout AOC is also referred to as fanout AOC. It is an active optical cable that is used to transform a high-speed, channelized port into several low-speed ports. QSFP+ to 4x SFP+ breakout AOC, for example, has a 40G QSFP+ module and four 10G SFP+ modules, providing connectivity between QSFP+ and SFP+ ports.

Unlike most AOCs, it has distinct modules on each sides as well as varied data speeds on both sides. The QSFP+, for example, has a bandwidth of 40Gbps, while the SFP+ has a bandwidth of 10Gbps.

 

What are the Applications of Active Optical Cables?

AOC cables were developed as an alternative to traditional Direct Attach Copper cables (DAC) to provide greater distance. They are generally used in data centers and High-Performance Computing (HPC) applications where a mix of length and value is required. As more enterprises rely on high-performance computers and networked storage solutions, Active Optical Cables are poised to become considerably more ubiquitous in the coming years, rendering their copper counterparts obsolete.

AOC vs. DAC Cables, What is the difference?

• Cost: When dealing with many transceivers and connections within a data center, AOCs can save money by using DAC cables. DAC is the most fantastic option for data center owners to acquire in bulk to outfit their facilities, from the copper wire required to link the two ends to the low-cost electronics in the transceivers themselves. On the other hand, AOCs that use fiber optics and other optical technologies are a little more expensive choice. Overall, DACs are substantially cheaper.
• Signal Reliability: Many computers, routers, and switches are located in data centers, all of which cause electromagnetic interference. Electromagnetic interference may interfere with communication because DACs use an electric signal to transmit data between both ends. In this case, data center operators may encounter failures on their data links. On the other hand, AOCs do not have this problem because they may operate for more than 100 meters before engineers identify any defects. Consequently, with a typical length of 50 meters, data center operators utilizing AOCs will have no noise or interference problems.
• Weight: An active optical cable comprises two optical transceivers and a fiber optic patch cable, and it weighs just a quarter of a direct connect copper cable and has half the bulk.
• Power Consumption: the power consumption and cooling costs are significantly lower than with DAC cables, resulting in significant savings in operational expenses.

AOC Cables vs. Optical Transceivers, What is the difference?

• Stability: Unlike an optical transceiver, the AOC active optical cable visual interface is not exposed; the user does not need to worry about whether the optical interface is clean or polluted. The AOC system’s stability and dependability have significantly improved, lowering server room maintenance costs.
• Maintenance: Unlike optical transceivers, AOC does not require cleaning the interface after a failure. Furthermore, users do not need to test the terminal plug, which can save time.
• Consistency: AOC (Active Optical Cable) has higher wiring consistency and repeatability. Enclosed terminations make it easier for AOC to escape the impacts of environmental and vibration. If a component fails, it can be directly replaced and help to save money.
• Cost: AOC is less expensive than optical transceivers, which can reduce deployment costs. More importantly, its transmission distance can meet the needs of consumers in a variety of short-distance transmission applications.

What are the AOC Cable Types?

Form Factor	AOC Types	Aggregate Speed	Lane Speed	Lanes	Fibers	Max Length
10G SFP+ to SFP+ AOC	AOC	10Gbps	10Gbps	1	2	100m
25G SFP28 to SFP28 AOC	AOC	25Gbps	25Gbps	1	2	70m
40G QSFP+ to QSFP+ AOC	AOC	40Gbps	10Gbps	4	8	100m
40G QSFP+ to 4x 10G SFP+ AOC	Breakout AOC	40Gbps	10Gbps	4	8	100m
56G QSFP+ to QSFP+ AOC	AOC	56Gbps	14Gbps	4	8	100m
56G QSFP+ to 4x 14G SFP+ AOC	Breakout AOC	56Gbps	14Gbps	4	8	100m
100G QSFP28 to QSFP28 AOC	AOC	100Gbps	25Gbps	4	8	70m
100G QSFP28 to 4x 25G SFP28 AOC	Breakout AOC	100Gbps	25Gbps	4	8	70m
200G QSFP56 AOC	AOC	200Gbps	50Gbps	4	8	30m
400G OSFP to OSFP AOC	AOC	400Gbps	50Gbps	8	16	30m
400G QSFP56-DD AOC	AOC	400Gbps	50Gbps	8	16	30m

Conclusion

I hope this post has helped you learn more about AOC cables. It is a foregone conclusion that more and more 40G/100G AOC cables will be deployed and used in data centers. To address most of your application scenarios, we provide the standard 10G AOC, 40G AOC, and faster speed 56G AOC and 100G AOC. Our AOC cables are entirely programmed and tested our factory to ensure compatibility in your network environment.