Active optical cables (AOC) are cables with optoelectronic modules in the connector heads that convert electrical signals to light. Unlike passive copper cables, which send electronic signals directly down the internal copper wire, AOC involve additional signal conversions. In an active optical cable, electrical input is converted to photons via the combination of a specialized chipset or driver and laser(s). Photons are received at the other end of the cable and converted back to electrical impulses. Active optical cable (AOC) can be defined as an optical fiber jumper cable terminated with optical transceivers on both ends. It uses electrical-to-optical conversion on the cable ends to improve speed and distance performance of the cable without sacrificing compatibility with standard electrical interfaces.

As data rates rise and data center clusters grow in size, copper cable technology is getting stretched to its limits. Active optical cable (AOC) assemblies were invented to replace copper technology in data centers, high performance computing (HPC) and A/V applications in virtue of its stability and flexibility. In the era of the optical network, AOC cable captures a major chunk of high-speed optical inter-connectivity market on a global level. ActiveOpticalCable.com provides the most technically capable optical solutions available in plug-and-play active optical cables (AOCs).