Microsoft has ramped up its hollow core fiber (HCF) production push after signing strategic partnerships with Corning and Heraeus.
As confirmed in a blog post last week, Microsoft said the two partnerships will accelerate HCF production.
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Scaling up manufacturing of HCF is part of a wider aim to deploy the fiber across Microsoft's network globally. The company believes this will provide more reliable connectivity for its Azure cloud and AI platform.
HCF is a type of optical fiber that features an air-filled center channel that is surrounded by a ring of glass tubes, akin to a honeycomb pattern.
The design allows for higher capacity with minimized chromatic dispersion. The only glass involved is on the outside structure of the cable itself.
Microsoft acquired UK-based HCF manufacturer Lumenisity Limited back in 2022, and in the same year, launched a HCF fabrication facility in the UK to expand production and drive innovation.
Since 2023, Microsoft has been deploying this HCF technology across multiple Azure regions.
It claims that its HCF, which is based on the proprietary Double Nested Antiresonant Nodeless Fiber (DNANF) design, delivers up to 47 percent faster data transmission and approximately 33 percent lower latency compared to conventional Single Mode Fiber (SMF).
“This milestone marks a new chapter in reimagining the cloud’s physical layer. Our collaborations with Corning and Heraeus establish a resilient, global HCF supply chain so Azure can deliver a standardized, world-class customer experience with ultra-low latency and high reliability for modern AI and cloud workloads," said Jamie Gaudette, partner cloud network engineering manager at Microsoft.
Microsoft will work with Corning to ramp up HCF production at Corning's US facilities, while German-based Heraeus will produce out of its sites in both Europe and the US.
Lumenisity was formed in 2017 as a spin-off from the Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) at the University of Southampton to commercialize its HCF technologies. The company had raised £12.5 million ($16.77m); euNetworks was a customer, while BT had conducted trials with the fiber firm. It recently opened a 40,000 sq ft (3,716 sqm) HCF manufacturing facility in Romsey, UK.
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