Scala Data Centers, in collaboration with Lightera and Nokia, has completed the first Latin American test of hollow core fiber (HCF) technology, achieving a 32% reduction in latency compared to conventional optical fiber. The trial took place at Scala’s Tamboré campus in São Paulo, the largest data center complex in Latin America, using Lightera’s AccuCore HCF™ fiber and Nokia’s 1830 PSI-M optical platform powered by its sixth-generation PSE-6 photonic chipset. The demonstration brought data transmission speeds closer to the physical limits of light, marking a key milestone for regional AI and high-performance digital infrastructure.
Unlike traditional optical fibers that transmit light through a solid glass core, hollow core fiber guides light through an air-filled core, reducing light refraction and enabling faster signal propagation. VIAVI Solutions provided advanced optical testing, while system integrator MagicComp managed installation and commissioning. The pilot validated performance across 10 GbE, 100 GbE, and 400 GbE transport rates, confirming the latency gains for intra-campus data center links spanning 1.5 to 2.5 kilometers.
Scala, Lightera, and Nokia plan to scale the technology for production deployments targeting ultra-low-latency, high-volume applications such as AI model training, financial trading, cloud computing, and gaming. The roadmap envisions extending hollow core fiber to metro- and long-haul networks as range and manufacturing advances mature, redefining latency boundaries for inter-data-center connectivity.
• Scala provided the test environment at its Tamboré data center campus in São Paulo.
• Lightera supplied its AccuCore HCF™ cable and connectivity solution.
• Nokia contributed its 1830 PSI-M optical platform with PSE-6 chipset and encryption.
• MagicComp handled fiber installation and commissioning.
• VIAVI Solutions supported optical testing with OneAdvisor 800 Transport 400G module.
• Latency dropped by ~32%, equivalent to São Paulo being “digitally 32% closer” to Vitória.
• Initial range: 1.5–2.5 km, with plans to expand to metro and long-haul spans.
• Applications include AI training, cloud workloads, high-frequency trading, and gaming.
• The companies plan phased deployments for intra-site, intra-campus, and inter-campus use.
• Scala aims to integrate HCF into its AI-optimized data center fabric.
“Innovation is in our DNA. Enabling the first hollow core fiber test in the Americas reinforces Scala’s role as a cutting-edge platform for digital transformation and positions us at the frontier of what is physically possible in digital performance,” said Agostinho Villela, CTO of Scala Data Centers.
🌐 Analysis: Hollow core fiber represents one of the most promising frontiers in optical networking, offering latency reductions approaching the theoretical speed of light in vacuum. The Scala-Lightera-Nokia trial demonstrates the readiness of HCF for short-range, high-throughput environments such as AI data center fabrics and HPC clusters. As manufacturing scalability improves, broader deployments could follow similar R&D paths seen in Europe and Asia, where BT, Lumenisity (now Microsoft), and NTT have been testing comparable systems.
