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ICC News - "AI-driven compute power has been exploding over the past two years, and it's creating new challenges for connectors," said Zhang Hailin, General Manager of Hengtong Guangdong Optoelectronics, noting that the company has been undergoing an unprecedented transformation amid the wave of AI compute.

Recently, ICC visited Hengtong Guangdong Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd. for an in-depth interview with Zhang Hailin. Facing rigorous requirements from top internet companies-seven-day delivery, with 15 days as the maximum lead time-Hengtong Guangdong made a decisive investment in a comprehensive overhaul of its connector workshop. The company built a high-standard cleanroom and upgraded both production environment and equipment across the board.

By introducing high-precision automated production lines, Hengtong significantly expanded capacity for data communications (datacom) connector products and improved product consistency. In parallel, the company strengthened professional training and established a quality-control system that covers the entire product lifecycle. At present, Hengtong Guangdong's MPO connector products have successfully entered the supply chain of a leading domestic internet company and are actively engaging with other major internet players-one of the most notable developments revealed in this interview.

Notably, at the IFOC ICC Optical Communications Conference · Annual Forum held in Dongguan on January 16, during the 2025 "ICC Heroes List" Awards Ceremony, Hengtong Guangdong delivered a keynote presentation titled "The Evolution of Next-Generation Optical Interconnect Technologies Under the AI Wave." The talk systematically reviewed the latest developments in AI-driven optical interconnect technology and offered an outlook on future evolution paths. As one of the key hotspots in the datacom market, connector products also became a widely discussed topic following the event.

Amid the rapid growth of the compute-power market, Hengtong Guangdong has proactively invested resources to advance a strategic shift-building a systematic roadmap spanning R&D, production base upgrades, and product qualification. In 2025, the company carried out a comprehensive upgrade of its connector workshop, developing a high-standard cleanroom-based R&D and manufacturing hub that integrates innovation, pilot-scale transfer, and mass production.

"These initiatives are all aimed at breaking through market barriers and precisely aligning with the needs of top internet companies," Zhang said, acknowledging that the traditional telecom market and the emerging datacom market differ markedly-especially in delivery expectations, where internet companies demand what he described as a revolutionary leap in lead times.

Leveraging Hengtong Group's decades of experience and accumulated know-how in fiber optics, optical cable, and fiber optic connectors, Hengtong Guangdong also made early moves in fiber certification to lay a solid foundation for entry into the compute supply chain. Years ago, Hengtong Optoelectronics began filing and certification processes for multimode fiber products with internet companies-forward-looking groundwork that later broadened pathways for collaboration.

Beyond workshop upgrades, Hengtong Guangdong has also invested heavily in high-end testing equipment, introducing professional-grade instruments that were once primarily used by optical module manufacturers for performance validation and inspection. "Ensuring product quality and the reliability of technological innovation is fundamental. You need a full suite of advanced equipment to achieve comprehensive control," Zhang explained, underscoring Hengtong's determination to compete in the high-end market and its pursuit of excellence in quality and innovation.

To date, Hengtong Guangdong has completed key milestones in MPO capacity expansion and supporting R&D capability upgrades. This breakthrough did not happen overnight-it is the result of years of continuous preparation. The company now fully meets the audit standards of major internet companies and offers a complete capability set spanning rapid response, iterative development, and large-scale delivery.

Group Photo: Zhang Hailin (center), Hengtong Guangdong, with ICC

As compute demand surges, optical interconnect technologies are facing new tests. From delivery timelines to technical standards, industry rules are being rewritten.

"Top internet companies require delivery within seven days, with 15 days as the absolute maximum. That's completely different from the traditional market," Zhang said. "From order placement to delivery to the destination data center cluster, the timeline must be strictly controlled within that limit." He noted that such extreme requirements pose substantial challenges to the entire supply chain: "You must ensure both speed and quality-at scale. The overall bar is extremely high." He added that this trend has become especially pronounced this year, with domestic internet companies continuously raising their standards for delivery assurance.

To meet these demands, Hengtong Guangdong has made capacity expansion a core strategy. "Only by scaling capacity can you meet their volume and lead-time requirements and qualify for inclusion," Zhang emphasized.

In addition to lead-time constraints, product qualification and certification represent a critical threshold for entering the high-end compute market. Internet companies impose rigorous and complex supplier qualification processes, requiring multiple rounds of audits to earn supply eligibility. With the compute market remaining hot for two consecutive years, homogenized competition has intensified. Against this backdrop, Hengtong Guangdong's design innovations stand out.

During the discussion, Zhang demonstrated a key innovation in Hengtong Guangdong's MPO products: through a specialized structural design, the connector maintains stable fiber performance even under 180-degree bending, significantly improving bend resistance and effectively reducing loss during cabling. After launch, this bend-resistant MPO product quickly won broad customer recognition.

Zhang also revealed that Hengtong Guangdong is actively developing hollow-core fiber MPO technologies and has already received customer sample requests. To address these technical challenges, the R&D team has completed solution design, testing, and validation based on customer needs. "We shouldn't be limited to a single product line. Our goal is to build optical connectivity solutions for the entire datacom market," Zhang said.

Building on its traditional strengths, Hengtong continues to invest in frontier technologies-from hollow-core fiber to high-density connectivity-expanding the boundaries of optical interconnect innovation. With more than three decades of accumulated capability, the company is establishing a comprehensive competitive edge aligned with the needs of the AI compute era.

"AI is only the beginning. The potential of future technological progress is enormous. But one thing is certain: every information superhighway depends on reliable optical connectivity," Zhang said, expressing a clear view of industry trends. The volume of sample requests for advanced technologies continues to rise, signaling strong market validation of Hengtong's forward-looking strategy-and indicating that the company is shifting from reactive market response toward proactive technology leadership.

Technology leadership remains one of Hengtong's core strengths. "Hengtong's more than 30 years of accumulation spans brand influence, technical advancement, on-time delivery, and quality assurance-together forming our competitive moat," Zhang said. This comprehensive advantage has also supported Hengtong's continued recognition as a top-tier supplier. In 2025, the company again received China Mobile's A-level supplier rating, and Zhang noted it is the only enterprise in the industry to achieve this distinction.

It is also worth noting that Hengtong's investments in quality control have delivered significant results. Hengtong Optoelectronics received the 5th China Quality Award for its proprietary "Four-Comprehensives, Two-Faces" quality management model. The company has built a robust quality management system and continues to introduce advanced inspection equipment to ensure performance compliance. Meanwhile, three decades of brand strength have become a key asset in pushing into high-end markets.

In the face of rapid market shifts, Hengtong's agility has also stood out-from early preparation for the datacom market years ago to fully meeting the requirements of major internet companies today. The company has efficiently transformed into a key participant in AI compute infrastructure, with its optical interconnect products supporting massive data transmission needs across data center clusters.

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