Plastic Fiber Breakthrough Blazes Path for Faster AI Data

Speeding Light Through Plastic

A team of Japanese researchers has shattered performance expectations using plastic optical fiber (POF), hitting a stunning 106 Gbps per core—far outpacing typical fiber speeds. This innovation, led by Keio University and Furukawa Electric, leverages advanced multi-core POF technology to turbocharge bandwidth while maintaining energy efficiency. What’s groundbreaking here is the use of multi-core transmission in plastic rather than the more expensive glass optics typically seen in high-speed data centers. The development could revolutionize how data moves inside AI and high-performance computing (HPC) environments, promising more sustainable, lower-latency data centers.

AI’s Growing Appetite Meets Faster Fiber

With AI workloads accelerating exponentially, current data center infrastructure struggles to keep up with power and latency demands. Researchers believe this multi-core POF tech could ease those bottlenecks by offering high throughput without the significant thermal load or cost associated with traditional fiber. The flexible, lower-cost material also supports easier deployment within densely packed server architectures. If scaled effectively, this could form the backbone of next-gen AI clusters where speed, density, and efficiency are non-negotiable.