Data center optical interconnect use to surge says LightCounting

LightCounting predicts in a new research report that combined sales of embedded optical modules (EOMs) and active optical cables (AOCs) will prove to have hit $262 million in 2015, an increase of 48% over 2014. And that's just the start of a major growth cycle for such data center optical interconnect technology, the market research firm predicts.

The company points out that neither technology is new. EOMs have found use in supercomputers, core routers, and other systems since 2000, while AOCs have been around since 2007. However, the market for such products has seen wild swings. For example, these data center optical interconnect technologies saw sales fall 17% in 2013, then rise by the same percentage in 2014.

That growth appears to be sustainable for the foreseeable future. In addition to the 48% upswing in 2015, LightCounting predicts in its most recent "AOC-EOM Report and Forecast" that revenues will swell to $850 million by 2021.

The 218-page report describes the prospects for 17 categories of products that are individually tracked, forecasted, and mapped into five application segments: high-performance computing, core routing, data center, optical backplanes, and other applications.

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