The “second growth curve” of copper cables, AEC (Active Electrical Cable), solves the problem of long-distance transmission attenuation of copper cables through built-in signal amplification chips, becoming a new choice for high-speed interconnection within data centers. AEC empowers copper cables with chips to find the optimal solution between cost, power consumption, and distance, becoming an irreplaceable solution for short distance connection of AI computing power clusters.
With breakthroughs in materials, chips, and integration, AEC technology is expected to drive the global copper cable industry share from 31% to 65% by 2025-2028, completely rewriting the data center connectivity ecosystem.
-Transmission distance improvement: AEC integrates CDR (clock data recovery) and Retimer chip (Retimer chip reconstructs the performance boundary of copper cable) at both ends of the copper cable, re timing, shaping and driving attenuated electrical signals, effectively compensating for high-frequency losses. The transmission distance is extended from traditional DAC (no source copper cable) only supporting 3-5 meters to 10-30 meters, while supporting ultra-high speed rates from 400G to 1.6T, covering more scenarios inside the cabinet.
-Signal quality optimization: Chip level signal compensation technology ensures low bit error rates at high speeds (800G/1.6T), with power consumption only one-third of that of optical modules (about 5W), which is more in line with the green and energy-saving needs of data centers.
– Cost advantage: Compared to active optical cables (AOC), AEC reduces costs by 40% -50%, and the price of 800G/5m AEC is only one-third of AOC. Compared to DAC, it saves 70% space in terms of volume and has a lower failure rate than optical modules because it does not require photoelectric conversion.
-Market prospects: According to third-party forecasts, the global AEC market size is expected to exceed $5 billion by 2025, with a compound annual growth rate of over 40%.
AEC (Active Cable) technology, as a “performance upgrade version” of copper cables, is enhancing signal processing capabilities through integrated chips, breaking through the physical limitations of traditional copper cables, and becoming a key solution for short distance high-speed connections in data centers.
