RE:50G PAM4 Upgrade = TAC (Tencent Active Cable) Wow, Tencent really stresses the problems that Active Optical has:
"However, the commonly used AOC (active optical cable) needs to convert electrical signals into optical signals, and then into For electrical signals, there are multiple signal conversion processes, which will introduce corresponding adaptation problems. In the data center interconnection hardware failure, the adaptability problems caused by signal or protocol matching account for more than 30%, and the failure is more due to the positioning process Complexity, long time, and serious impact on the delivery and use of data centers."
"In order to meet the requirements of fast delivery, the timeliness of the installation and wiring of data centers is very important. Cable damage will inevitably occur during the wiring process. In terms of material and structure, copper has better mechanical stress tolerance than glass, so DAC can Tolerate more damage caused during wiring than AOC."
And then they go into the Positive effects of Active COPPER: "In the end, 25G-related products have brought expected benefits. Through the DAC+ACC wiring scheme, the cost is reduced by 40% compared with the traditional AOC scheme, and the current network failure rate is reduced by an order of magnitude from the original 0.3%."