- Japanese researchers hit 106 GBPs per year. Core with breakthrough in plastic fiber
- Multicore plastic fiber cuts costs and complexity for AI -Datacenters
- Bit error frequency falls 100,000 times against traditional glass -based systems
A team of researchers at Keio University in Japan has developed a breakthrough plastic optical fiber (POF) technology that could transform the short distance, high -speed communication in the next generation AI data centers.
The group was announced prior to the optical fiber communication conference (OFC) 2025 and revealed a multicore-classified index POF that was able to transmit data to up to 106.25 Gbps per year. Nuclear.
Led by Professor Yasuhiro Koike and Associate Professor Kenta Muramoto at the Keio Photonics Research Institute, the project addresses a growing bottleneck in AI infrastructure: the need for ultra-high capacity, low-latency interconnects between GPUs and accelerators in dense computer environments.
Faster, more scalable AI infrastructure
Contrary to traditional glass fibers that require complex tapes and multicore plugs, the team’s Method Multicore POFs allow to be made in one step using extrusion casting. This reduces dramatic cost and complexity by a factor of 10 to 100 according to the researchers.
The new extrusion technique allows for mass production of multicore fibers regardless of core numbers or arrangements, making it adaptable to a wide range of data center designs.
Test confirmed even after 30 meters transmission at 106.25 GBPS PAM4, the signal integrity remained high with minimal degradation in TDECQ. Bit error speeds (ber) were reduced by up to 1/10,000 to 1/100,000 compared to conventional glass fibers.
According to the researchers, “GI-Type POF has a feature in which the fine non-uniform structure formed inside the nucleus reduces the context of light and acts as a volumetric noise reduction effect throughout the optical fiber.”
This fine -grained internal structure diffuses optical context and acts as a volumetric noise reduction mechanism.
The team’s Multicore Gi-POF, including a 61-core circular version and a 4-core rectangular variant, allegedly demonstrated high production reliability and stable transmission across all cores.
Combined with VCSELs (vertical cavity-surface-emitting lasers), the system obtained 106.25 GBPS PAM4 signal transmission over 30 meters without significant degradation.
Two papers describing this work have been accepted on OFC 2025. With rising demand for effective, high-performance interconnections, Keio’s multicore plastic fiber technology could be the key to locking faster, more scalable AI infrastructure in the coming years.
Via PC Watch
