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Photonics News No 63

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Data Highways for Intelligent Machines

Networked Systems Require Large Bandwidths

The fourth industrial revolution means one thing: data, data, and even more data. The International Data Corporation (IDC) analysis institute assumes that around 175 zettabytes of new data will be generated in 2025, compared with 33 zettabytes in 2018. Analysts assume that in six years around 65% of new data will come from companies using more sensors and “intelligent” communicating machines. Ninety zettabytes alone are expected to be generated in the Internet of Things (IoT).
If IDC’s forecast is correct, in 2025 ~30% data will be real-time data processed within milliseconds; the entire vision of Industry 4.0 depends on speed, with two big challenges:

  • Computing Power.
    Computers must process large amounts of data in the shortest possible time.
  • Bandwidth.
    The generated data must be transmitted without delay.

Solutions already exist in both areas, but much remains to be done before they can be implemented across the board.

Computing Power Shifts to the Edge
Currently data centres process, manage, secure, and retrieve data as required. In some cases, these nodes are far away from the end devices where the data is generated and required. In the cloud, several data centres that are located far away from each other often work together. With Industry 4.0 and the IoT, however, they are reaching their limits.

The solution is edge computing. Important computing operations are carried out where the data is generated – in the machine or even in the sensor itself.

Data Transfer at the Speed of Light
Even though the flood of data has been filtered and reduced by edge computing, enormous computing power is still required in the cloud, and the bandwidth for a smoothly functioning Industry 4.0 environment can only be provided by fibre optic cables.

The classic copper cables from Industry 3.0 no longer suffice because they can transmit a data signal unamplified for only about 100 metres. In order to convert existing facilities to Industry 4.0, companies must therefore think above all about upgrading their cable networks. It is not enough to simply replace copper cables with optical fibres.

New Mobile Radio Standard as Starting Signal for Industry 4.0
Experts agree that it is not enough to upgrade some company sites and production facilities. For example, a large electronics group has already linked locations worldwide to allow test results from Asia to be directly implemented in the production processes of a facility in Europe. They only work if the public networks provide the necessary bandwidth across the board. Even those who follow media coverage only irregularly know that a lot still has to happen in the rural regions in order for companies located there to also benefit from Industry 4.0.

New impetuses are expected from the new 5G mobile communications standard. It was developed with IoT in mind and offers around 100 times more bandwidth. However, this speed comes at the expense of the range; therefore, considerably more transmitter masts will be required in the future.

In order to connect these masts to the backbone network, the fibre optic infrastructure must also be further expanded. If Industry 4.0 is soon to become a reality everywhere in Europe, there is no way around 5G.




Fiber-optical measurement devices for insertion and return loss measurement.

Optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR) is a proven technology for monitoring physical network structures. A single fibre in the cable suffices for...


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Your contact person

Kay Cable

+44 1245 491499

kcable@lasercomponents.co.uk