In a world racing toward an AI-powered future, yesterday’s data centers aren’t just falling behind – they’re becoming obsolete. What was once confined to major hubs is now unfolding everywhere, with AI data centers emerging across the globe. This shift demands that materials, staffing, and support systems are already in place – ready to manage the process, enable staging, and provide seamless on- and off-site support.

The problem with the legacy data center

Legacy data centers are typically built around an ecosystem of copper and fiber cabling, connectivity, cabinets, panels, pathways, and spaces – all the foundational elements that define how a data center operates, whether it's a multi-tenant or a standard enterprise facility.

This structure, long familiar to the industry and therefore dubbed “legacy,” comes with inherent limitations. These challenges – whether in support, roles and responsibilities, or balancing in-house versus external resources – are all magnified in the age of AI.

When we look at AI-focused architectures, we see a clear trend: the adoption of scalable, repeatable building blocks throughout the data center, as Ken Hall, solutions architect at CommScope, explains:

“Each of those higher-density cabinet rows or scalable units is comprised of a variety of different components – fiber optic panels and connectivity, different types of cables, breakout cables, array cables, and a lot of MPOs.”

As AI adoption grows, the scale of these components has expanded dramatically, moving from duplex applications to four-pair and even eight-pair configurations to support the increasing demands of the back-end network.

That said, copper isn’t dead. Certain portions of the network, such as out-of-band management, still rely on copper cabling and direct attach methods where appropriate. But where flexibility is needed, structured cabling is the preferred approach.

Networks are becoming increasingly dense to support higher capacity and greater redundancy. As a result, there is a shift from traditional connectors like LC (Lucent connector) to more compact options such as SN (Senko nano) and MDC (miniature duplex connector).

MPO (multi-fiber push-on) connectivity – at both the transceiver level and within structured cabling – has gained significant market share, driven by the rapid growth of generative AI workloads and their associated GPU and CPU requirements.

To meet the need for even higher density, newer, smaller multipair connectors such as MMC and SN-MT are gaining traction in cabling backbones. Additionally, MPO is transitioning to multimode APC (angled physical contact) connections within cabinet rows to enhance performance and future-readiness. As Hall explains:

“Most data center work today is pre-terminated to save time on-site and address critical factors like density, staffing, and sourcing. Pre-planning for trunk cables and consistent cable assemblies across cabinets is essential for smooth builds.”

Around-the-clock global footprint

A strong global footprint is a major focus for industry leaders. CommScope, as a large connectivity manufacturer with an international presence in regions including the US, UK and Ireland, India, China, Mexico, and the Czech Republic, delivers materials produced in-region to navigate around supply chain constraints.

“We source materials to our specifications and build to support the market globally,” says Hall, adding: “We have technical experts in-country, in-region, and around the globe, so there's always someone nearby to help with any data center application.”

To enable this global reach, CommScope works with trusted partners like World Wide Technologies (WWT) – a leading IT solutions provider, systems integrator, and supply chain management organization. With a global supply chain covering over 5.3 million square feet, WWT handles staging, integration, material handling, asset management, and just-in-time delivery. Bruce Gray, global practice manager for facilities and infrastructure at World Wide Technology, explains:

“The best part is the integration, where we can incorporate solutions like CommScope into rack builds and other technology solutions our customers need for just-in-time delivery.”

WWT has established its Advanced Technology Center at its St Louis tech campus, offering a collaborative space for global customers and clients. Here, they can engage in research, testing, training, lab builds, sandbox environments, and proof-of-concept projects. This hub allows stakeholders to explore, test, and experiment with technologies before making purchase decisions. Gray notes:

“We have a dedicated AI Proving Ground at our St Louis tech campus, showcasing how AI functions, not only in terms of hardware, but also through learning and training modules.”

Meeting today’s explosive performance requirements

Connectivity demands are rapidly and exponentially increasing, with cabinet cable counts growing from tens to over 500 fibers per row. Since available space hasn’t expanded accordingly, managing pathways and enabling future changes has become critical.

As emphasized, the AI Proving Ground is essential right now. There’s a pressing need to reduce complexity because too many things are happening simultaneously. So, we must ask: what performance requirements are customers currently demanding, and what’s really happening on the ground?

A key concern is how newly invested-in devices will interact with existing equipment – moving from theoretical compatibility to a proven, seamless integration. Given the incredible investments being made in data centers, customers need assurance that these devices will work together reliably. Joe Franklin, solutions architect at World Wide Technology, explains:

“That’s where we bring in CommScope and say, “Okay, give me your best product to connect these devices. How much bandwidth do we need? How much overhead should we plan for?” These are the kinds of things we can test and prove out in the AI Proving Ground.”

Testing, testing

A major challenge raised by the speakers is understanding the evolving requirements for testing. While many assume it’s simply about cables, the reality is far more complex, especially with growing demands for speed, management, support, and security. Questions emerge around the purpose of testing, how to properly conduct it, and how to verify its accuracy.

Hall points out what is often overlooked – testing alone may not be enough. While a simple plug-in works for single point-to-point connections, multiple connection points within a channel need additional testing. Validation testing is often required by the customer, regardless of the cable structure:

“The idea is that we need to test all fibers, especially those with MPO connectors. With increased sensitivity to return loss in high-speed applications, and a shift toward angled multimode MPO connections in cabinet rows – similar to single-mode MPOs – testing and verification methods are changing.” He adds that field verification using multi-pair testers speeds up this process on-site, which is critical to meeting today’s network availability demands.

Franklin highlights the need for a balance between comprehensive testing and fiber longevity:

“I’m really looking forward to the no-cleaning-required connector that’s coming soon. Dust and debris are major issues since every time you remove an end cap, the fiber is exposed to contamination. The more testing you do, the greater the risk of exposing fibers to dirt. But is the failure rate high enough to justify all this testing? That’s for the customer to decide.”

The need for speed

As the focus turns to accelerating deployment, scalability, and availability without disrupting rack and stack setups, questions arise about whether existing infrastructure is sufficient or needs a complete overhaul.

Amid major ecosystem changes, customers want to know how to speed up time to market and operational efficiency. Gray shares his insights on improving scalability, adoption trends, and who is leading in this area, emphasizing that timing is everything:

“Speed and availability depend on getting involved early in the design phase. Cabling can’t be left to the end. It’s about understanding the client’s architecture to choose the right product set for speed and bandwidth. Early design decisions are key for planning cable pathways, staging, and integration – these can’t be last-minute considerations.”

To facilitate speed to deployment, Hall highlights CommScope’s design and ordering guides, including one tailored for Nvidia AI networks, based on recent deployments. He explains that crews work in sequence across data centers, making global supply chain management, sourcing, and production capacity crucial.

Importantly, supporting multi-generational requirements remains essential – not every build will be an AI factory, but pre-planning for future flexibility is valuable.

The future of data center connectivity

As data centers expand beyond traditional hubs like Ashburn, Virginia, new challenges emerge – limited power, restricted access, and gaps in local expertise at these newer locations. This shift demands a strong global support network staffed with skilled technicians.

To keep pace with growing demands, CommScope is focused on improving cable design, increasing fiber counts, and optimizing pathway efficiency. Customers impose strict guidelines, leaving limited flexibility, so providers must quickly adapt to meet performance and connectivity needs – whether for AI clusters, enterprise data centers, or Edge locations.

Supporting this, it is WWT’s mission to emphasize that cutting corners on cabling carries significant risks. It’s far better to plan thoroughly from the start than to scramble at the last minute. Equally important is having qualified technicians on-site who can identify potential issues early, preventing costly bottlenecks down the line.

Listen to the full broadcast episode here.