- MicroLED and Hollow Core Fiber are two British inventions that are revolutionizing Microsoft’s data centers
- MicroLED sits between fiber and copper for short and medium-length connections
- HCF can be used for longer distances to connect customers to data centers
Responding to ever-increasing demand for AI and cloud services, which is putting existing data center network infrastructure under pressure, Microsoft says new UK-developed technologies are helping it gear up for a more efficient future.
Two key technologies developed in the UK – MicroLED optical networking and Hollow Core Fiber (HCF) – are now being used by Microsoft at scale to increase energy and cost efficiency across the board, and they’re not just being used in the UK.
The company said these UK inventions help it address the current limits of network infrastructure, including power, distance and reliability.
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British inventions help Microsoft’s data centers
As a result, data center customers globally are treated to faster services with lower latency.
MicroLED is being used to replace traditional laser-based optical components, promising up to 50% lower energy consumption compared to current systems and a longer lifetime. Used primarily in data centers to connect servers and GPUs, this technology is more reliable and less sensitive to heat and dust than laser systems.
Microsoft explained that current data centers use fiber optic cable for longer distances and copper cable for closer connections within two meters. MicroLED closes the gap, matching the reliability and cost-effectiveness of copper, but matching the longer distances served by fiber optics.
“This breakthrough has the potential to change nearly every aspect of computing infrastructure … starting with high-bandwidth optical cables,” wrote Microsoft Research technical fellow and CVP Doug Burger.
With Microsoft poised to roll out MicroLED, the company has already deployed HCF across its Azure regions. By transmitting data through air, not glass, it delivers up to 47% faster speeds and around 33% lower latency compared to standard fiber, enabling connections over longer distances with less performance loss.
HCF is for longer distances – connecting customers to data centers – unlike MicroLED, which will mostly be used in the data center.
“Hollow Core allows us to expand the area served by one data center and one Azure region,” added Frank Rey, director of Azure Hyperscale Networking.
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