Opening the Next Chapter of Connectivity for AI Networks
Aleksandra Boskovic
Published: March 31, 2025
For 50 years, the industry’s greatest minds have gathered at the Optical Fiber and Cable Conference (OFC) to share their organizations' groundbreaking technologies and to propose solutions to propel the industry forward.
This year, artificial intelligence (AI) takes center stage as it continues to push data center capabilities—requiring over 10 times more fiber compared to traditional networks, higher data processing rates, and agile network design. I am excited to unveil our next-generation fiber and cable solutions that unleash a new level of connectivity and prepare AI networks for the future.
Solutions for the Age of AI
Glass has served as a key ingredient in Corning’s revolutionary solutions in every chapter of our optical business, and the rise of AI is no exception. Notably, a significant portion of our 2025 OFC booth showcase is dedicated to increasing network capacity with smaller, denser, more sustainable, and easier-to-use products to overcome AI’s connectivity challenges.
As part of our data center showcase, we are formally introducing Corning® GlassWorks AI™ solutions, our one-stop shop of products and services to help operators navigate the complexities of AI network design by providing customized products and best-in-class network design services.
Designing future-forward AI networks is not an easy task. There are a plethora of fiber, cable, and connectivity methods to consider while building a network that can adjust to meet future needs. This comprehensive portfolio includes high-density cables, shuffle solutions, optical hardware, and MMC connector assemblies, which can accommodate up to 36 times more fiber connections within a data center rack unit compared to a legacy LC connector. With GlassWorks AI™, we’re not just providing hardware – we’re offering superior network planning, design, and deployment support to ensure seamless scalability as network needs evolve.
Interconnected data centers
AI’s bandwidth requirements go beyond the server rack and can venture outside the data center campus in the form of interconnected data centers. More often, I notice large enterprise networks optimizing space in existing conduits to lay the groundwork for future network needs with high-capacity cables. Our newest Contour™ Flow cable is an ideal product for that purpose. This high-density cable is enabled by SMF-28® Contour fiber, which is 40% smaller compared to legacy fibers and offers superior bend resilience for high-density environments. By fitting double the amount of fiber into the same cable diameter, Contour Flow cable delivers future-ready optical performance without the need for expensive infrastructure buildouts, interconnecting AI-enabled data centers like never before.
The Future of AI: Co-Packaged Optics
Perhaps one of our most exciting innovations is the CPO FlexConnect™ fiber, optimized for the short-length, tight packaging conditions of co-packaged optics (CPO) architectures. This single-mode bend-resilient fiber is designed to significantly increase data processing capacity and streamline connectivity to Graphics Processing Units and Central Processing Unit chips—the processing chips needed to facilitate high-bandwidth data center computations.
Several technical demonstrations for CPO will take place in the Corning booth. Two glass-based detachable fiber-to-the-chip connector concepts will be shown; one with Ranovus' ODIN® product and the other with GlobalFoundries' GF Fotonix™ packaging test chip. Additionally, Mixx Technologies' AI optical interconnect system utilizing Corning’s optimized fiber and fiber management will be showcased, as well as an upgraded concept of Corning’s CPO switch layout featuring MMC connector assemblies—all showcasing CPO’s power to accelerate data transmissions.
Connecting the Unconnected
Beyond AI-focused innovations, we’re also showcasing broadband networking solutions, including our RPX® Long Span cable—a cable designed to streamline rural broadband deployments by providing longer aerial spans, simplified hardware, and enabling fast mass fusion splicing during installation.
Visit us in booth 1643 at the 2025 Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exposition (OFC), April 1-3 in San Francisco to see these innovations in action. Our experts are available to discuss the breadth of Corning’s offerings and help operators navigate the next chapter of connectivity. For more details on our offerings, visit our products page.
