Group 1 - The core viewpoint is that as AI large model training enters the "ten thousand card cluster" era, traditional electrical switching network architectures face high power consumption and bandwidth requirements, making OCS switches essential for ensuring extreme bandwidth and forward compatibility through their "all-optical switching" mechanism [1] - The global OCS switch market is projected to grow from $72.78 million in 2020 to $366.47 million by 2024, with a CAGR of 49.80% from 2020 to 2024, and expected to reach $2022.21 million by 2031, with a CAGR of 17.12% from 2025 to 2031 [2] - The MEMS technology solution currently dominates the commercial OCS switch market, accounting for over 70% of the market share, with Google being the largest producer [2] Group 2 - Domestic manufacturers are actively participating in the R&D and manufacturing of OCS switches, with companies like Huawei launching new all-optical switches and others like Lingyun Optics and Zhongji Xuchuang involved in the development and manufacturing processes [3] - A list of recommended stocks in the OCS industry chain includes companies such as Saiwei Electronics, Xindong Link, Juguang Technology, and others, indicating a robust investment opportunity in this sector [4]

Core Viewpoint - Optical Circuit Switches (OCS) differ from traditional switches by enabling direct optical switching without optical-electrical conversion, leading to reduced hardware costs and power consumption [1][2][5]. Group 1: Overview of Optical Switches - OCS operates by forwarding optical signals through wavelength division multiplexing and cross-connection, with optical-electrical conversion occurring at the server side [1][2]. - The main performance indicators of optical switches include switching speed, insertion loss, return loss, durability, and reliability [2][3]. Group 2: Current Development Status - OCS technology has gained attention due to Google's initiatives, with increasing applications in data centers [5][6]. - The rise of east-west traffic in large data centers has created bandwidth bottlenecks in traditional three-layer architectures, necessitating the adoption of the Spine-and-Leaf architecture for better scalability and reduced latency [6][8]. Group 3: Market Demand and Shipment Volume - Global shipments of optical switches reached 10,000 units in 2023, with an expected increase to approximately 13,000 units in 2024, driven by growing bandwidth demands in machine learning and cloud computing [16][19]. Group 4: R&D Directions - Despite the promising outlook for optical switch technology, challenges remain, including high initial capital expenditures and signal insertion loss [14][19]. - Continuous technological advancements are anticipated to enhance performance and reduce manufacturing and deployment costs, solidifying the foundation for large-scale applications [19].