EBO Technology Connectivity Solutions for Future-Proof Data Center Cabling

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Less installation effort, higher reliability—EBO technology offers a resource-saving alternative to conventional MPO/MTP connectors. The MPE connectors not only significantly reduce the cleaning and testing effort, but also allow for a higher number of mating cycles.

The demand for data centers is growing worldwide without restraint. Numerous new data centers are being established every month, and existing facilities need to expand storage and processing capacities and improve the bandwidth of internal networking. However, given the personnel effort and costs of new cabling, necessary measures are sometimes implemented hesitantly. With EBO technology, there is a plug alternative that can be installed significantly faster and easier—now also in a format already familiar.

Hyperscalers like Google and AWS (Amazon) have made headlines in recent months—they require new data center capacities worldwide, but do not always find sufficient power supply at the planned locations.

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Additional data centers are particularly needed for rapidly growing AI applications. This affects not only the hyperscalers—in industry and administration, logistics and medicine, too, data volumes that need to be transmitted, stored, and processed are growing, and the introduction of artificial intelligence is accelerating the development significantly. Furthermore, in some sectors, there are efforts to separate from hyperscalers for cost reasons and to operate their own data centers or set up a private cloud with regional providers.

Complex Fiber Optic Cabling

The demand for data centers is currently growing without restraint. New ones are constantly being established, and existing facilities need to quickly expand their capacities, for example, by switching to more powerful technologies. Thus, server racks are becoming increasingly densely packed, and internal networking must also meet increased demands. Here, high-bandwidth fiber optic cables (LWL) with more and more fibers in single-mode and multimode transmission protocols are in demand.

However, the installation of fiber optic cabling is also a considerable cost factor and thus a hindrance to development. This is demonstrated, for example, by a study from Omdia, which explores why the upgrade of data centers to 400G technology lags behind the possibilities.

Recruit Specially Trained Employees

An important factor is the fact that both new installations and patching of existing cabling often encounter problems that are difficult to identify. Pluggable optics are continually developed but have also proven to be a source of errors in data center networks, according to market analysts at Omdia. In light of higher data rates and increasing complexity of the modules, new testing strategies are therefore necessary.

In practice, this means acquiring specially trained employees for conventional fiber optic connection technology, such as the widely used MTP/MPO connectors, who work with the utmost care. The use of costly cleaning kits and special acceptance tools, for which employees also need specific training, is also indispensable. This is the only way to prevent contamination that could impair data transmission from the outset or at least detect and rectify it in time.

More Efficient Connector Concept

In addition to this connector system, which is internationally standardized in the IEC 61754 series as an independent MPO, there is also an alternative that is significantly less prone to errors and therefore much easier to install.

The EBO technology (Expanded Beam Optical) patented by 3M is based on expanding the light beam in the connector using a lens rather than simply transmitting it linearly and then refocusing it on the opposite side. Where a dirt particle would largely shadow or even completely block a linear light beam, in the expanded beam, only a fraction of the light is absorbed, thus not impairing data transmission.

Another advantage: Unlike the MTP/MPO connection technology, which is based on "male" and "female" connectors, the EBO connector concept works with ferrule technology that fits together rotated by 180 degrees ("hermaphrodite"). Moreover, the ferrule design allows for use in both multimode and singlemode applications.

The EBO-based cabling can be carried out much more easily since elaborate cleaning kits and complex measurements are largely unnecessary. With EBO connectors, up to 85 percent less time is required—or in other words, up to six times as many connections can be made in the same amount of time. Additionally, the personnel do not need to undergo extensive training beforehand to the same extent. At the same time, EBO technology ensures extremely high mating cycles with consistent performance—even without cleaning the end faces.

Customized Form Factor

While the EBO technology initially featured its own connector, the latest version is externally identical to the widely used MTP/MPO technology. The EBO MPE-12 connector consists of an MPO connector housing with an EBO instead of an MT ferrule. The "footprint" in terms of space requirements is thus identical from MTP/MPO to EBO-MPE connector.

Customers can more easily switch to the more robust and efficient EBO technology. The matching footprint means that existing hardware does not need to be redesigned or replaced; only the connection technology needs to be adjusted. This allows panels with MTP/MPO couplings, for example, to continue to be used when trunks with associated patch cables and harnesses with EBO MPE-12 connectors are employed. The couplings, as well as housings or plug-in boxes, can also be reused 1:1 during such an upgrade, if necessary.

Also Suitable for Harsh Environments

The EBO ferrule concept can leverage its advantages not only in data centers. The connection technology has also proven itself in harsh environment applications, even in outdoor use. In radar stations and military applications, where it is difficult to exclude contamination, as well as in medical applications with an exceptionally high number of mating processes, the EBO technology ensures robust and reliable connections— even under the influence of moisture and UV radiation or in temperature ranges beyond what is standard in data centers.

Reduced Cleaning and Testing Effort

The standardized MPO/MTP technology has proven itself over many years, but it requires special care and considerable effort during installation. Where appropriately trained personnel are lacking or the time window for installation or retrofitting is tight, the EBO connector concept with MPO-compatible couplings equipped with a 3M EBO Next Gen ferrule presents an interesting alternative. This is because the MPE connectors significantly reduce the cleaning and testing effort, allowing more connectors to be installed in a shorter time, and even saving incidental costs for cleaning kits and specialized measurement technology. Additionally, the EBO connectors enable a higher number of mating cycles, further reducing the installation effort over the years.

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