THOMAS RITZ THE FIBRE BOTTLENECK
INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT: NEW OPERATIONAL RISKS When thousands of fibres connect thousands of ports, manual documentation breaks down. Manual control of complex hyperscale cabling systems is becoming virtually impossible and automated monitoring is needed. Human errors in patching can cause catastrophic outcomes, and positions RFID plus DCIM to reduce patching mistakes and improve reliability. The same issues can be seen everywhere, not just hyperscale DCs. AI is not only being built by the largest cloud players. Enterprises, colocation providers, edge sites, industrial campuses, and regional operators are upgrading existing facilities. These sites often face tighter constraints: older rooms, limited cable pathways, legacy ODFs, smaller meet-me rooms, less spare cooling, and fewer specialist technicians. Smaller and medium-sized players are also developing AI applications and may integrate new AI infrastructure into cloud, colocation, remote, edge, or on-premise environments, increasing requirements for layout and infrastructure management. The hidden fibre challenge is not confined to the world’s largest AI factories. It will appear in ordinary data centres as they become AI-capable.
IN SHORT: AI READINESS MEANS PHYSICAL READINESS A data centre can buy the right chips, install high-density racks, and add liquid cooling. But if it cannot route, splice,
Analysis shows that copper-based networks can consume up to 17 times more energy per bit rate than full-fibre networks. USTelecom’s 2025 “Greener Connections” report says fibre lines use less energy, take up less space, require less maintenance, and need replacement less often than copper. It also notes fibre can use 30–40%, 54%, or up to 80–95% less energy than copper depending on study basis and metric.
protect, document, monitor, and maintain the fibre layer, it cannot
become truly AI-ready. The next phase of AI infrastructure competition will be fought in the physical layer: closures, cassettes, ODFs, meet-me rooms, splice cabinets, cable pathways, monitoring systems, and technician workflows.
HOLLOW-CORE FIBRE: PROMISING, SENSITIVE, AND NOT-YET-COMMON INFRASTRUCTURE
Hollow-core fibre is sometimes seen as an emerging answer to the latency problem between AI data centres, campuses, and power-adjacent sites. The promise is lower latency and longer useful distance; the challenge is production scale, cost, termination, connection, testing, and operational maturity. Manufacturers claim hollow- core fibre can transmit data nearly 50% faster than conventional fibre and extend latency-constrained data centre spacing from about 60 km to about 90 km. However, hollow-core fibre is unlikely to replace conventional single-mode fibre broadly in the near term. Adoption may depend on whether performance advantages justify operational complexity, including connection, splicing, testing, integration, specialized components, maintenance, and TCO.
Thomas Ritz, MBA Market Manager Public Networks, R&M
MiCo, Milano Convention Centre, Milan, Italy www.ecocexhibition.com
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ISSUE 44 | Q3 2026
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