Internet Industry Data Center Expansion Case: High-Density Fiber Optic Upgrade in the AI Era

An internet company based in the United States planned to construct a new Plot C data center adjacent to its existing data center cluster in Northern Virginia. This expansion was driven by rapid business growth and specifically dedicated to support cutting-edge AI research.

The newly planned Site C data center is approximately 2.5 kilometers from the existing Buildings A and B data centers. The 2.5km separation between Plot C and existing facilities necessitated both internal high-speed connectivity within Plot C and ultra-efficient long-haul links to Buildings A/B.

Buildings A/B already deployed extensive MPO and MMF Duplex LC connections via multimode fiber, creating migration complexities.

The distance between the new C-block and Buildings A/B exceeds 2 kilometers, rendering the current multimode fiber solution inadequate for long-distance transmission. Core services must transition to single-mode fiber, incurring substantial cabling and equipment costs.

Each building required 360+ pairs of SMF Duplex LC connections at 400G rates, rendering traditional WDM solutions impractical due to port density and cost constraints.

Conventional LC-to-LC patching for 1,000+ fibers resulted in oversized cable bundles, congesting conduits and racks while complicating installation and maintenance.

To address the complex challenges of long-distance transmission, 400G ultra-high bandwidth, ultra-high density, and limited installation space, AICPLIGHT provided an end-to-end solution based on the MPO/MTP® structured cabling system, meeting the stringent requirements of AI-era data centers.

The core of the solution adopts a combination of MPO/MTP Cassettes and MPO/MTP Trunk Cables, enabling the integration of up to 48 Duplex LC connections into a single MPO trunk cable. This significantly improves cable density and achieves efficient conversion from Duplex LC to MPO.

Services from the core rooms of Buildings A and B were precisely allocated to the new core room in Plot C, ensuring balanced load distribution while greatly enhancing redundancy and system reliability.

With MPO/MTP Cassettes, a 1U panel can accommodate 4 MPO module cassettes, achieving 192-fiber high-density transmission within one rack unit. This maximizes port density in limited room space while maintaining excellent cable management and thermal performance.

High-quality MPO/MTP Trunk Cables were deployed for the 2.5km long-distance connection, ensuring stable and reliable 400G transmission. With an outside diameter of just 7.0mm, these highly integrated cables eliminate the need for bulky traditional LC cable bundles, allowing smooth installation in tight conduits and cable trays—fully resolving deployment challenges.

For future service expansion or speed upgrades, customers only need to add additional MPO/MTP Cassettes and trunk cables, enabling rapid capacity scaling without large-scale reinstall fiber optic cables or infrastructure modifications.

Driven by technologies like AI and 400G, the number of connections in traditional data centers is growing exponentially. Traditional point-to-point cabling systems have become difficult to maintain, with low density and significant occupation of valuable rack space. AICPLIGHT's structured cabling methodology delivers critical value to customers.

Our solution multiplies port density within limited 1U rack space, enabling customers to maximize every inch of cabinet space for computing equipment.

By consolidating massive Duplex LC services (e.g., 1000+ fibers) into standardized MPO interfaces, we streamline operations. Structured patch cords, modular designs, unified color coding, and clear labeling drastically reduce maintenance effort, troubleshooting time, and management complexity.

Precision-engineered MPO/MTP components ensure insertion loss compliance with 400G/800G transmission standards, delivering low-latency and ultra-reliable performance over 2.5km distances.

The standardized, unified MPO architecture creates a flexible and scalable infrastructure—not only meeting current 400G demands but also enabling seamless upgrades to 800G and even 1.6T speeds, safeguarding long-term investments.