AOC (Active Optical Cable) and DAC (Direct Attached Cable) are both used for data center short distance server interconnection and server switch interconnection. There are some key differences between the two.

DAC Cable

DAC is for short-distance transmission.

DAC is widely used in data center switches, Large-capacity I/O storage devices, and connected with high-density network devices.

AOC Cable

The transmission distance of AOC is longer than DAC.

AOC is used in data centers, high-performance computers, large-capacity I/O storage area networks and other equipment for high-speed and high-reliability transmission.

AOC usually meets the industrial standard of electrical interface. Through the internal electrical-optical-electrical conversion, it can exert the superiority to be used for data transmission.