Intel has developed a new type of optical cable that looks set to replace higher-grade copper types used to transfer data between data centres.
Detailed in a company blog post, new MXC cables use light and lasers to move data between servers, storage, networking and other resources at 800Gbps, far outpacing the 10Gbps ones commonly used today.
MXC cables are smaller, more durable and resistant than copper ones and boast a longer range of up to 300 metres, according to Intel. The company reckons that cloud and big data companies will be among the first to express interest in the tech.
Blistering speed
Each cable can have a maximum of 64 fibres, and each fibre can transfer data at 25Gbps.
The new tech could change the way servers are designed. Optical light speeds mean that differing components of a server could be connected via expansion boxes, while the hyperspeed transfer rates may benefit supercomputing and database applications.
Intel is opening the tech to companies, and it's working alongside the Facebook-sponsored Open Compute Project.