Active Optical Cable & Extender Market by Product, Protocol (InfiniBand, Ethernet, Serial-Attached SCSI (SAS), DisplayPort, HDMI, Thunderbolt, USB), Form Factor (QSFP, QSFP-DD, SFP, SFP+, PCIE, CXP), Application and Region - Global Forecast to 2028

The active optical cable & extender market is valued at USD 3.3 billion in 2023 and is anticipated to be USD 6.2 billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 13.1% from 2023 to 2028. Factors such as reliability of AOCs than traditional copper cables and requirement for fiber optic modules in data centers are likely to drive market growth during the forecast period. AOCs use optical fiber communications and shielded end casings to provide immunity to electromagnetic and radio-frequency interference. They are much lighter than copper cables, reducing the risk of damaging switch ports. They are also being used with InfiniBand interfaces to a great extent in data centers.

Reliance on HPC and AI architectures

Robust interconnect solutions are required to manage massive data processing tasks in high-performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI) systems. AOCs and extenders have become indispensable components in these applications. These cables utilize optical fiber technology to offer high data throughput and low latency, making them ideal for efficiently handling large datasets. Their longer reach enables flexible deployment across distributed infrastructures, ensuring seamless communication between components. The scalability of AOCs allows for easy expansion to meet growing computational demands. Their reliability and immunity to electromagnetic interference guarantee stable data transmission, which is critical for real-time processing. Furthermore, AOCs’ energy efficiency aligns well with power-intensive HPC and AI environments, providing future-proof solutions to support continuous advancements and enhance overall performance in cutting-edge computing applications.

In addition, the complicated nature of HPC and AI architectures often spans vast geographical distances, requiring reliable and consistent data connectivity. AOCs and extenders offer secure, interference-resistant optical connections that maintain signal integrity over extended ranges. The inherent stability of optical fibers ensures that data-intensive HPC and AI workloads can be processed and shared without disruptions, enhancing collaboration and innovation across organizations. As industries increasingly harness the capabilities of HPC and AI, the role of AOCs and extenders in enabling these technologies to reach their full potential becomes more pronounced, solidifying their position as a critical component in the modern computing landscape.

Large-scale adoption of cloud-based services

Cloud computing services are becoming more prevalent in various industrial sectors, including telecommunications, military, and data centers. Cloud computing services require high bandwidth, processor speed, and I/O. Active optical cables are used for various cloud computing applications to meet these demands.

The growing adoption of virtualization and cloud computing techniques primarily drives the active optical cable & extender market. Enterprises increasingly use cloud-based services, resulting in the construction of large-scale data centers. As a result, the deployment of active optical cables and extenders is on the rise. The need for higher bandwidth capabilities in data centers due to the growth of virtualization and cloud-based services also led to the increased adoption of AOC powered by advanced technologies.

Asia Pacific is the fastest-growing region in the active optical cable & extender market

Asia Pacific is expected to have the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The growth of the Asia Pacific active optical cable & extender market can be attributed to the expanding digital infrastructure and the increase in data-intensive applications, such as cloud computing, 5G networks, and high-performance computing. AOCs & extenders, which can transmit high volumes of data over longer distances without compromising on speed and quality, are well-suited to support the demands of 5G networks. As the region experiences an exponential increase in connected devices and IoT applications, AOCs & extenders are poised to play a crucial role in maintaining the integrity of data transmission and meeting the requirements of low latency and high bandwidth that 5G technology necessitates.

The breakup of primaries conducted during the study is depicted below:

• By Company Type: Tier 1 - 20 %, Tier 2 - 45%, and Tier 3 -35%
• By Designation: C-Level Executives - 35%, Directors - 25%, and Others - 40%
• By Region: North America- 45%, Europe - 20%,  Asia Pacific - 30%, Rest of world- 5%

Research Coverage

The report segments the active optical cable & extender market and forecasts its size, by value, based on region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and RoW), Product (hardware and software), Protocol (InfiniBand, Ethernet, Serial-attached SCSI (SAS), DisplayPort, PCI Express (PCIe), HDMI, Thunderbolt, USB, MIPI, Fiber Channel, and others [Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) and Digital Visual Interface (DVI)]), Form Factor (QSFP, QSFP-DD, OSFP/CFP8/COBO, SFP+, PCIE, SFP, CXP, CX4, CFP, CDFP, and others (USB TYPE C, HDMI, MINI-SAS, DDR, FDR, QDR, and EDR), and Application (data centers, high-performance computing, consumer electronics, telecommunications, industrial, energy, oil & gas, medical, military/aerospace, and others (test & measurement equipment, simulation systems, and security & surveillance systems). The report also comprehensively reviews market drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges in the active optical cable & extender market. The report also covers qualitative aspects in addition to the quantitative aspects of these markets.

Reason to Buy Report

The report will help the market leaders/new entrants with information on the closest approximations of the revenue numbers for the overall active optical cable & extender market and the subsegments. This report will help stakeholders understand the competitive landscape and gain more insights to position their businesses better and plan suitable go-to-market strategies. The report also helps stakeholders understand the market pulse and provides information on key market drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities. 

The report provides insights on the following pointers: 

• Analysis of key drivers (widespread adoption of 4k and 8k video technologies, and reliability of aocs than traditional copper cables), restraints (high installation and maintenance costs, and susceptibility to physical damage and transmission losses), opportunities (digitalization and 5g network rollouts, and popularity of digital signage technology), and challenges (availability of alternatives, and security issues related to fiber optic-based storage system)
• Product Development/Innovation: Detailed insights on upcoming technologies, research & development activities, and new product & service launches in the active optical cable & extender market. 
•  Market Development: Comprehensive information about lucrative markets - the report analyses the active optical cable & extender market across varied regions. 
• Market Diversification: Exhaustive information about new products & services, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments in the active optical cable & extender market 
• Competitive Assessment: In-depth assessment of market shares, growth strategies, and service offerings of leading players like Coherent Corp.(US), Broadcom (US), Amphenol Communications Solutions (US), Corning Incorporated (US), TE Connectivity (Switzerland), among others in the active optical cable & extender market