Diverse Applications for High-Speed Cables

AI Servers and Cloud Computing Are Driving a New Era of High-Speed Interconnects

With the explosive growth of emerging technologies such as VR/AR, digital twins, high-performance computing (HPC), and artificial intelligence (AI), data transmission demands have rapidly expanded into ultra-high frequency ranges—including Super High Frequency (SHF, 3–30 GHz), Extremely High Frequency (EHF, 30–300 GHz), and even the frontier of Tremendously High Frequency (THF, 0.3–3 THz).

While fiber optics remain the ideal medium for long-distance, low-attenuation transmission, they pose cost and energy challenges in short-reach scenarios like within server racks due to the need for expensive and power-hungry optical transceivers. In contrast, copper cables are gaining traction in these environments thanks to their low power consumption and direct connectivity advantages.

Currently, in the short-reach high-speed transmission market, Direct Attached Copper (DAC) cables remain the preferred solution for internal connections within HPC and AI data centers. With low latency, low infrastructure cost, and no need for optical-electrical conversion, DAC solutions continue to offer unmatched value. Looking forward, twin-axial differential structures and LVDS high-speed signaling are expected to dominate intra-server interconnect architectures over the next decade.

Common High-Speed Interconnect Standards in AI and Cloud Infrastructure:

• PCIe Gen5 / Gen6 (32GT/s – 64GT/s)
  Enables high-speed connections between ICs, including CPU-to-accelerator interfaces such as RDMA and GPUs.


• 112G PAM4 Modulation
  Enhances data throughput for front-panel I/O and backplane connections, effectively doubling bandwidth at the same frequency.

High-Speed Cable Application Diagram

As high-frequency applications become mainstream, cables must meet increasingly stringent performance requirements, including:

• Broadband performance (>32GHz)
• Ultra-low latency (<1ns)
• High signal integrity and consistency

Modern AI data centers deploy dense arrays of high-performance servers and GPUs, placing extreme demands on cable design in terms of size, manufacturability, yield, thermal stability, and signal integrity (SI). To support 112G/224G PAM4 transmission, cables must deliver ultra-low loss and exceptional immunity to environmental interference, ensuring stable operation within costly and complex computing infrastructures.

To mitigate operational risks, AI data centers increasingly specify cables that meet near-military or national infrastructure-grade standards. Suppliers must provide products engineered for extreme conditions—such as high humidity, temperature variations, and electrostatic exposure—to truly support the future needs of mission-critical data processing environments.