What just happened? Fujitsu has developed an optical transmission technology capable of delivering up to 1.2 Tbps per optical wave, or the equivalent of six Blu-ray discs (25 GB) per second. The new tech is superior to traditional optical networking solutions at virtually every avenue.

It utilizes a digital signal processing LSI (DSP) based on the latest semiconductor processes and is one-third smaller and lighter than conventional air-cooled equipment. Power consumption has also been cut to 120mW per transmission capacity (Gbps), and CO2 emissions are down 70 percent compared to conventional transmission systems.

With the proliferation of 5G, AI, IoT and big data, the need for faster and faster data transmission tech is only going to grow. 5G has not made as big of a splash as some anticipated but it’s here and its successor – 6G – is already being developed.

Unlike conventional optical transmission equipment that is cooled with air, Fujitsu’s system is liquid cooled. It is a trend that is becoming increasingly more common as companies struggle to manage the enormous amount of data society is generating on a daily basis.

Last year, Microsoft announced it was testing a two-phase immersion cooling system to keep servers from overheating. Redmond said the setup, which is comprised of hardware submerged in a non-conductive fluid that boils at 122 degrees Fahrenheit inside a steel holding tank, could reduce the power consumption of a server by as much as 15 percent.

Fujitsu is also using machine learning to analyze the status of individual components like optical fibers with a high degree of accuracy. That data can then be used to set the DSP modulation method and configuration elements when building the network to maximize transmission performance while lowering power consumption.

The company said that when operating a device using the tech with a transmission capacity of 800 Gbps, it can achieve four times the reach compared to a conventional system.

Fujitsu plans to commercialize equipment based on the technology in the first half of fiscal 2023.

Image credit: Brett Sayles, Umberto