en.Wedoany.com Reported - Hakusan, a Japanese optical connector component manufacturer, recently announced plans to build a second plant in Kawakita, Ishikawa Prefecture, with a total investment of approximately 5 billion yen, expected to begin operations around April 2028. The plant will focus on producing TMT Ferrules for next-generation ultra-compact multi-core optical connectors, serving the demand for high-speed, low-latency connection components from global AI data centers, high-density optical communication networks, and hyperscale cloud service providers.
The immediate backdrop for Hakusan's capacity expansion is the sustained surge in data center construction driven by generative AI, requiring higher-density, lower-loss optical communication capabilities for server clusters, GPU interconnects, switching equipment, and cabinets. The network architecture of AI data centers is evolving from traditional server interconnections to larger-scale GPU clusters, rack-level interconnects, and high-bandwidth optical links. Optical connectors are no longer just small accessories at the end of communication links but critical components determining fiber alignment accuracy, insertion loss control, cabling density, and long-term reliability. As a member of the Lightera Group, Hakusan has long been engaged in the development of core optical connector components such as MT ferrules. Its second plant will serve as a precision molding and manufacturing base, consolidating the company's over 35 years of technical expertise in low-loss MT ferrules and establishing larger-scale mass production capabilities for TMT Ferrules. This investment is also directly linked to the multi-source supply agreement previously reached by Hakusan, SANWA Technologies, and US Conec regarding ultra-compact multi-core optical connectors MMC and TMT Ferrules. The three parties aim to stabilize the global supply chain through a multi-source mutual supply mechanism, reducing supply uncertainty for high-speed optical interconnect components amid the rapid expansion of AI data centers. Hakusan stated that the new plant will increase its equipment-level production capacity to approximately 1.5 times the current level, and plans to enhance a certain scale of TMT Ferrule capacity in advance using existing facilities before the new plant becomes operational, to respond more flexibly to market demand.
The new plant is planned on a site of approximately 20,000 square meters, with the main product being TMT Ferrules for next-generation ultra-compact connectors. Hakusan also plans to relocate its headquarters functions concurrently with the construction of the new plant.
The industrial significance of such investments lies in the AI data center supply chain extending further from chips, servers, and liquid cooling systems into the deep layers of optical communication components. In the past, discussions about AI infrastructure focused more on GPUs, HBM, high-speed switching chips, complete servers, and power supply. However, as cluster scales continue to expand and data flows at high speed between cabinets, racks, campuses, and data centers, components such as optical connectors, fiber assemblies, ferrules, adapters, and transceiver modules collectively determine network scalability. TMT Ferrules and MMC optical connectors are designed for ultra-compact form factors and multi-core connections, with core value in increasing fiber connection density within limited spaces, enabling data centers to achieve a better balance between cabinet cabling, port density, and maintenance convenience. Hakusan's capacity expansion indicates that the optical communication industry chain is undergoing a more granular wave of expansion centered on AI data centers. Suppliers are not only passively responding to order growth but also proactively locking in hyperscale customer demand through multi-source agreements, standardized components, and regional manufacturing bases. For cloud service providers and network equipment manufacturers, a stable supply of optical connectors helps shorten data center construction cycles and reduce fluctuations in the delivery of critical components. For Japan's precision manufacturing industry, low-loss, high-precision optical connection components remain an important entry point into the global AI infrastructure chain.
Hakusan stated that this investment will support its stable supply to global hyperscale cloud service providers, and it plans to expand recruitment in Ishikawa Prefecture, covering positions in manufacturing, R&D, sales and marketing, and corporate functions. As demand for AI data centers, high-density optical communications, and multi-core optical connectors continues to grow, the production capacity of optical connector components will become a crucial link in the expansion of global information and communication infrastructure.
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