Huber+Suhner deepens collaboration with Microsoft
Herisau/Pfäffikon - Huber+Suhner is expanding its partnership with Microsoft Azure Fiber by making investments in its manufacturing capacities for Hollow Core Fiber (HCF) cables and connectivity solutions in Herisau. At the same time, new HCF cable and connector designs have been added to its portfolio.
(CONNECT) Huber+Suhner, which is headquartered in Herisau in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden and Pfäffikon in the canton of Zurich, will be working even more closely with Microsoft Azure Fiber in future to support the company in its efforts to scale its HCF-supported cloud infrastructure, as detailed in a statement. Within this framework, the companies have jointly designed robust cable systems for indoor and outdoor use and certified them for field deployment. In parallel, the partners are driving the development of the next generation of higher-density HCF cables.
At its Herisau production site, Huber+Suhner has implemented special processes to integrate HCF into stranded multi-fiber loose-tube (MLT) cables, which offers the option of future production expansion. The company has also developed a patented HCF connector specifically engineered for hyperscale and metro-optical networks, which is already in series production. At the same time, manufacturing capacities are being further expanded to meet the increasing demand for HCF cable and connectivity solutions, with the overarching aim of offering a comprehensive portfolio of integrated, end-to-end connectivity solutions.
Hollow core fiber cables and connectivity solutions significantly improve the performance of optical networks. These cables enable data transmission up to 47 percent faster than conventional solutions, facilitating low-latency communication both within and between data centers. According to the company, HCF cables offer significant economic advantages, particularly in the context of increasing demand for cloud and Artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructures.
“These HCF cable and connector technologies are already deployed and carrying live traffic over Azure HCF links today, and this integrated capability will help us rapidly co-design and scale connectivity solutions for the future of cloud and AI network infrastructure”, comments Colin Wallace, GM Cloud Network Engineering at Microsoft Azure. ce/ja