Readying for an Explosion in Web Usage, Danes Invent 43Tbps Fiber Line.

A team of researchers at the Technical University of Denmark has just smashed the record for fastest recorded data transfer speeds. Using a modified fiber cable, like those famously used by Google to transfer data between its server rack cabinets at lightning speed, researchers at the Danish school were able to produce data transfer rates of 43 terabytes per second. If you have a hard time envisioning just how much data that is, consider this: Apple's iPad Air comes with 64 gigabytes of on-board storage. A fiber optic line that can transfer 43 terabytes of data per second could transfer 688 of those iPads by the count of one.


Do We Really Need to Transfer So Much Data So Quickly?
Looking at their day to day usage, many people on the consumer level don't see why we would ever possibly need data transfer at these speeds. As PC World reports, data usage, particularly in metro areas, is set to increase by a staggering 560% by year-end 2017. As you might imagine, this is tied directly to the boom in the mobile industry, which Mashable estimates will take over the number one web usage spot from the traditional desktop computing market by 2015. In other words, sooner than later, we're going to need this blazing fast technology that can keep people connected to the games, businesses, and social media platforms housed in computer server racks without reverting to the speeds of dial-up internet.


What Are the Industry Implications of This Type of Technology?
Companies who choose to adapt the technology developed by the Technical University of Denmark would place themselves ahead of the competition and effectively future-proof themselves. Keep in mind, global eCommerce levels are expected to spike in 2014, with web users estimated to spend $1.5 trillion on goods and services online. By 2017, that number will shoot to $2.3 trillion.


As statistics from Kiss Metrics show, companies who rely on slow, outdated rack enclosures working at current transfer speeds are likely to experience a sharp drop in customers and revenue. 47% of consumers say they expect a company's page to load in two seconds or less. If a company continues to use rack enclosures that don't promote loading speed, those customers will abandon their business -- permanently.


It will undoubtedly be some time until this revolutionary technology from Denmark is affordable and available to the majority of businesses out there; however, the Facebooks, Googles, and other companies out there who rely on speedy, reliable rack enclosures would do well to upgrade as soon as possible.