The Underappreciated Need to Enable AI and Data Center Growth: Increased and More Strategic Fiber Interconnections

The Fiber Broadband Association partnered with RVA to highlight how the rise of artificial intelligence is driving an unprecedented surge in hyperscale data center development. While attention has often focused on power, land, and chips, a critical constraint is being overlooked: fiber interconnection. Fiber is the true backbone of AI, the essential component for high-capacity, low-latency, and secure data transmission between data centers and to the cloud. To meet this demand, the U.S. must dramatically scale its fiber infrastructure by 2029:

• Nearly 2X increase in fiber route miles (from 95,000 to 187,000)

• 2.3X increase in fiber miles (from 159 million to 373 million)

• 109M miles for route upgrades, 66M for new center connections, 38M for new long-haul routes

Achieving this growth will require aggressive infrastructure deployment and strategic collaboration between fiber providers, power utilities, and policymakers. The Fiber Broadband Association urges action to streamline permitting, expand access to public land, and incentivize fiber construction, ensuring the U.S. can lead the AI era with a high-performance, future-ready network:

• High capacity: Upgraded cables with 1,728+ strands and DWDM technologies

• Low latency: Direct, optimized routes between centers

• High reliability: Redundant paths, undergrounding, and fiber sensing for security