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Optical components are becoming a critical chokepoint in AI infrastructure, as the data-center buildout drives strong demand for more efficient data-transfer methods

First, it was graphics processing units; then, it was memory chips. Now, the latest artificial-intelligence bottleneck is optical interconnects, or the high-speed systems that allow massive chip clusters to communicate at the speed of light.

As AI models become ever larger, the industry’s demands have moved beyond raw processing power to a model of distributed compute that has pushed traditional copper wiring to its limits. Optical interconnects transmit data between chips, boards and systems in data centers using light, instead of electricity as traditional copper wires do — improving bandwidth density and power efficiency, and lowering latency.