AI growth is reshaping data centre networking, driving demand for faster, more efficient optical transceivers. As hyperscale and AI environments scale rapidly, partners have a clear opportunity to deliver improved performance, cost efficiency, and long-term value to customers.
► Latest 1.6T transceivers can double throughput for AI workloads
► Supports sustainability by increasing bandwidth without proportional power growth
► Enables multi-vendor environments at a lower overall cost
Why AI workloads are changing data centre networking
As AI adoption accelerates, data centre construction and infrastructure investment continue to rise. Traffic patterns have also shifted significantly. Traditional ‘north-south’ traffic between users and applications is being replaced by ‘east-west’ data flows between servers, GPUs, and accelerators.
This east-west traffic now dominates throughput, placing increasing strain on existing 800G transceivers. Without higher-capacity optics, organisations face bandwidth bottlenecks, increased latency and underutilised GPU resources. Rising DRAM costs and supply constraints add further pressure, increasing reliance on network-based data movement.
How 1.6T optics address the challenge
AddOn Networks’ latest 1.6T transceivers are designed to meet these evolving demands. By doubling the speed of 800G optics and leveraging PAM4 lane technology, they deliver higher density and improved efficiency.
The result includes:
- Reduced switch layers and shorter data paths
- Lower hop counts and latency
- Faster synchronisation across GPU clusters
This directly supports high-performance AI training, inference workloads and cloud environments.
Supporting sustainability goals
Energy consumption is a growing concern as data centre demand increases. GPU clusters, memory-intensive workloads and rising internal data traffic are expected to significantly drive electricity use toward 2030.
1.6T optics help address this challenge by delivering substantially higher bandwidth without a proportional increase in power consumption. This reduces pressure on cooling systems and supports more sustainable data centre scaling.
Meeting demand with flexible, cost-effective solutions
Demand for high-speed optics is outpacing supply, creating challenges such as longer lead times and constrained inventories. This presents a strong opportunity for alternative optics providers, particularly for scalable 1.6T deployments.
AddOn Networks optical solutions are fully compatible with major OEM switches, supporting multi-vendor strategies. Their 1.6T OSFP 2xDR4 transceivers and direct attach cables provide reliable, high-speed connectivity for AI clusters and HPC environments at a lower cost.
These solutions allow organisations to upgrade existing data centre fabrics without vendor lock-in, while preparing for future 3.2T deployments expected in the coming years.
Get support
TD SYNNEX Advanced Solutions provides both commercial and technical support across the full AddOn Networks transceiver portfolio, helping partners identify the right solutions and accelerate customer outcomes.
