Simplifying the path to high-performance data center interconnects

AI-driven workloads are placing unprecedented demands on data center interconnects (DCI), requiring higher speeds, ultra-low latency and massive scale across campus, metro, core and long-haul environments. From build to assure, automated validation and continuous visibility into link behavior are essential to ensure reliable performance, accelerate deployment and simplify operations across current and next-generation DCI infrastructure.

Overcoming the complexity of modern DCI networks

AI is accelerating the evolution of fiber and transport networks—but with it comes growing pressure to deliver flawless performance, keep costs in check and improve operational efficiency across increasingly complex infrastructures.

AI driving stricter SLAs

Stricter SLAs are necessary to meet QoS standards and end-user expectations on upgraded high-speed networks (100G, 400G, 800G). With more users and devices relying on the network, downtime is simply not an option.

Ethernet networks evolving faster than ever

Rising speeds and advanced optics add complexity—making “plug-and-pray” approaches unreliable and testing crucial to ensure performance across all rates.

Juggling emerging transceivers

Coherent optics enable faster speeds and longer reach in metro, core, and DCI networks—but require thorough testing to ensure interoperability, minimize disruptions, and maintain network reliability.

Keeping CAPEX and OPEX in check

New technologies, including higher rates such as 800G and 1.6T, and emerging fiber types like hollow core and multicore fiber, increase testing complexity and require specialized skills and tools, driving up OPEX and CAPEX and adding pressure to adapt while managing costs.

Lack of real-time job compliance visibility

Lack of real-time job compliance visibility can lead to repeat site visits and truck rolls, driving up costs and delaying revenue due to quality issues.

Overcoming fiber diagnostic hurdles

Limited visibility makes fiber fault isolation challenging, increasing MTTR and network downtime. Eliminating costly manual fault-finding streamlines operations and maintenance while ensuring network reliability.

Test and validation for every DCI architecture

From initial deployment and service turn-up to ongoing operations and maintenance, each DCI architecture presents unique performance, scalability and operational challenges. Whether connecting AI clusters, metro facilities, regional data centers or transoceanic networks, comprehensive validation is essential to ensure reliable, high-performance connectivity at scale.

Connecting data centers within a campus

Key characteristics

Latency-sensitive environment
High fiber-count connectivity across multiple conduits
400G and 800G deployments today
Migration toward 1.6T pluggable optics

Validation focus

Fiber infrastructure qualification (ITU-T G.650.3)
High-speed Ethernet service activation
Latency and packet performance validation
Rapid troubleshooting

High-capacity between AI training clusters

Key characteristics

Massive east-west traffic flows
Extreme bandwidth density requirements
Low-latency back-end networks
Accelerated migration to 800G and beyond

Validation focus

End-to-end throughput validation
High-density fiber verification
Slicing validation
Full fiber characterization (ITU-T G.650.3)
Link performance benchmarking
Rapid fault localization in large-scale fabrics

Regional and national-scale DCI transport

Key characteristics

Multiple city-to-city corridors
High fiber-count backbone routes
Hundreds of fibers per route
400G and 800G coherent transport
Planned evolution toward 1.6T wavelengths

Validation focus

Slicing validation and full fiber characterization (ITU-T G.650.3)
Coherent optics validation
Optical spectrum and wavelength characterization
Service turn-up and SLA verification
Ongoing performance monitoring
Rapid troubleshooting and fault isolation

Transoceanic and ultra-long-reach connectivity

Key characteristics

Up to 24 fiber pairs per cable
Longest-reach data center interconnects
200G-400G per wavelength
20-30 Tb/s per fiber pair

Validation focus

Optical layer performance verification
Coherent optics validation
Commissioning and acceptance testing
Capacity optimization
Continuous performance assurance
Rapid fault localization in case of a break

From fiber qualification to high-speed link activation

Qualify the state of the fiber, turn up and activate links, and assess data transmission integrity with EXFO’s comprehensive test portfolio. Our solutions validate high-speed transport networks end-to-end—from the physical to the protocol layer—with first-time right results, every time.

Fiber splice quality validation

As DCI networks continue to expand, new fiber routes and capacity upgrades require thousands of fiber splices to be completed accurately and consistently. Poor splice quality can introduce excessive loss and performance variability that may not be immediately apparent during deployment but can impact network reliability and future scalability.

Validating splice quality during construction is an important step to ensure fiber infrastructure is built to specification and capable of supporting high-speed services from day one. By identifying and correcting issues early, operators can reduce costly rework, accelerate project acceptance and establish a strong foundation for 400G, 800G and future 1.6T deployments.

Fiber characterization

As inter-data center bandwidth demand grows, new and leased dark fiber must be fully validated before service activation. Fiber characterization provides an end-to-end baseline of physical-layer performance using OLTS, OTDR, CD and PMD testing to confirm link quality and readiness. It identifies impairments such as loss, reflectance, bends or attenuation that can impact high-speed transmission and long-term reliability. This ensures certified infrastructure, reduces deployment risk, and accelerates turn-up for 400G, 800G and beyond.

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High-speed link activation testing

Before a high-speed DCI link is placed into service, all optical components must be validated to ensure reliable operation. This includes transceiver qualification to verify optics and detect defects or performance issues early, followed by link activation testing to confirm end-to-end performance through BER, latency and jitter measurements. It also ensures interoperability between network elements and compliance with service requirements across 100G, 400G, 800G and emerging 1.6T networks, avoiding a costly “plug-and-pray” approach.

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Service activation testing for DCI services

As organizations adopt DCI-as-a-Service and managed transport models, service activation testing ensures readiness and performance assurance at turn-up. It validates service behavior under different traffic types—including voice, video and data—with defined QoS and SLA requirements. High-speed links (100G, 400G, 800G) are also verified to ensure reliable transport between data centers, aggregation points and service hubs before production handover.

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Identifying fiber degradations in live networks

Continuous, automated fiber monitoring enables rapid detection of degradations or disruptions in live networks, reducing mean-time-to-repair, minimizing downtime and preventing service impact. This is especially critical for high-bandwidth DCI links, where sustained link quality directly affects large-scale data movement between data centers and requires continuous validation to ensure performance and resilience.

In large-scale deployments, real-time visibility into fiber health is essential to quickly isolate faults and determine remediation actions. However, traditional remote fiber test approaches often fail to scale effectively, making them unsuitable for modern, high-capacity fiber networks.

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Hollow core fiber validation

Hollow-core fiber (HCF) is an emerging technology that enables scale-across DCI connectivity by supporting longer distances between data centers while maintaining performance. By guiding light through air instead of glass, it delivers ultra-low latency and significantly reduced attenuation, enabling faster signal propagation and consistent high-performance transport over extended reaches.

As a fundamentally different transmission medium, HCF cannot be accurately validated using traditional fiber test methods, making proper qualification essential as adoption grows across high-performance and low-latency applications.

Measurable outcomes across DCI networks

Across AI-driven data center interconnects, metro aggregation layers, core transport systems, and long-haul infrastructure, network operators and hyperscalers report measurable gains in speed, reliability, and operational efficiency.

100% build traceability

Ensure full visibility across the fiber infrastructure, improving accountability and deployment accuracy.

<5% activation failure rate

Increase first-time-right deployments and reduce costly rework during service turn-up.

2x faster DCI deployments

Manage the high volume of ports at play, reducing test time and accelerating delivery at scale.

75% reduction in MTTR

Identify and localize faults faster, minimizing downtime and operational impact.

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