TOKYO -- Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. and Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. today announced that they have collaborated to develop a new multi-fiber optical connector that enjoins and aligns multiple optical fibers for optical interconnects.

The conventional method of connecting optical fibers requires high-precision polishing that aligns the tips of the fibers, making the cost of this process considerable. Fujitsu Laboratories and Furukawa Electric have developed a connector that can accommodate different lengths of optical fiber with a spring mechanism that obviates the need for this polishing process, slashing by more than half the cost required to connect optical fibers.

This new jointly developed connector achieves performance on par with conventional connectors while simplifying the task of installing high-capacity optical interconnects in a server. It is anticipated that this technology will increase data transmission speed between boards, increasing overall server performance.

This technology is being presented in detail at SPIE Photonics West 2014, from February 1, 2014, in San Francisco.

Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd.