3M, the company behind ubiquitous Post-it notes and Scotch tape, has quietly landed a critical role in the artificial intelligence buildout.
The industrial conglomerate’s optical connectivity technology, which might seem far removed from AI, can actually slash fiber installation time by up to 85%. That’s a significant boon for hyperscalers, the massive tech companies that are building sprawling data centers to power AI workloads.
3M’s expanded beam optics technology uses a laser to create a larger beam, allowing for easier alignment and connection of fibers. The result is a faster, more efficient installation process that can greatly reduce costs and labor needs.
The AI data center crunch
The demand for AI data centers is skyrocketing, driven by the rapid growth of cloud computing and edge computing. Hyperscalers like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are racing to build sprawling facilities to support AI workloads, but the process is often slow and labor-intensive.
“Traditional fiber installation can be a manual process that’s time-consuming and labor-intensive,” said Bill Brown, CEO of 3M. “Our expanded beam optics technology can help hyperscalers deploy their high-speed networks faster, which is critical for their AI and cloud infrastructure.”
The fiber optics advantage
Expanded beam optics technology can also improve the reliability and scalability of fiber networks. By reducing the size of the beam, 3M’s technology allows for easier connection and alignment of fibers, even in the most complex or dense fiber environments.
This matters because AI workloads require massive amounts of data to be transmitted quickly and efficiently. Fiber networks are the backbone of these systems, and faster, more reliable installation can help hyperscalers meet growing demand and improve customer experience.
So what does this mean for the average person? Faster AI adoption, for one. With 3M’s expanded beam optics technology, hyperscalers can build more efficient, scalable data centers that support a wider range of AI applications. That can lead to improved personal assistants, more accurate image recognition, and better decision-making tools – all built on faster, more reliable fiber networks.
