AOC Uses in Modern Data Centers

AOC is composed of integrated optoelectronic devices for high-speed, high-reliability interconnected transmission device between data centers, high-performance computers, and large-capacity memory devices. It usually meets the industry standard electrical interface and transmits data by the superiority of fiber optic cable and electrical-to-optical conversion.

While AOC reaches can extend to the limits of the optical technology used (100-200m), installing a long 100m cable, complete with an expensive transceiver end, is difficult in crowded data center racks so the average reach typically used is between 3-30m. Only one “oops” per cable allowed. Damaging the cable means replacing it as it cannot be repaired in the field. AOCs are typically deployed in open access areas such as within racks or in open cable trays for this reason.
Gigalight25G SFP28 Active Optical Cables (AOCs) are direct-attach fiber assemblies with SFP28 connectors, compliant with 25G Ethernet IEEE 802.3by 25GBASE-SR standard. They are suitable for short distances and offer a cost-effective solution to connect within racks and across adjacent racks. The length is up to 70 meters using OM3 MMF and 100 meters using OM4 MMF.

The Advantages of Gigalight 25G SFP28 AOC

Low power consumption <1w p="">
The pre-FEC bit error ratio (BER) is guaranteed to meet E10-8 25.78125Gb/s@PRBS31, 55℃,  Better than the IEEE pre-FEC BER of less than 5 E-5.
Mature COB technology
Low Cost
High capacity, timely delivery
CE, UL,  RoHS, GR-468 test report

Conclusion

The power and cost savings caught the eye of the Ethernet hyperscale and enterprise data center builders and has since become a popular way to link Top-of-Rack switches upwards to aggregation layer switches such as End-of-Row and leaf switches. Several hyperscale companies have publicly stated their preferred use of AOCs for linking Top-of-Rack switches. Additionally, single channel (SFP) AOCs have become very popular in high-speed, NVMe storage subsystems. Some hyperscale builders often run 10G or 25G AOCs from a Top-of-Rack switch to subsystems at reaches greater than DAC limits of 3-7m.