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Data centre interconnect (DCI) bandwidth demand is expected to have a sixfold increase in the next five years, due to the rapid expansion of AI, according to a recent study by networking technology firm Ciena.
The study of over 1,300 data centre decision-makers across 13 countries found that DCI will need to evolve to support the growing scale of AI operations.
More than half of those surveyed (53%) identified AI workloads as the primary factor driving future DCI infrastructure demand, overtaking cloud computing (51%) and big data analytics (44%).
Significantly, over 40% of new data centre facilities are expected to be specifically designed to accommodate AI workloads, with AI model training and inference requiring large amounts of data movement.
Jürgen Hatheier, chief technology officer at Ciena, highlighted the importance of infrastructure upgrades, noting that “AI is set to accelerate the growth of network traffic, meaning operators are rethinking their architectures to accommodate this new reality.”
The survey also pointed to the importance of sustainable solutions for managing the increased demands of AI.
Almost all (98%) of respondents agreed that pluggable optics (compact, energy-efficient components) would play a crucial role in reducing both power consumption and the physical footprint of network infrastructure.
In addition, 80% of respondents expect the training of large language models (LLMs) to become more spread across multiple data centres.
This distributed approach will require enhanced connectivity between facilities, with nearly 70% of participants choosing for Managed Optical Fibre Networks (MOFNs) over traditional dark fibre solutions for long-haul data centre connectivity.
“The AI revolution is not just about compute—it’s about connectivity,” added Hatheier. “Without the right network foundation, AI’s full potential can’t be realized. Operators must ensure their DCI infrastructure is ready for a future where AI-driven traffic dominates.”
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