Thirst for Glow Sticks: Some types have increased more than five times since the beginning of the year, with supply shortages expected to continue until 2027.

Benefiting from the massive demand for fiber optic cables brought about by the construction of AI computing power networks, the prices of fiber optic preforms, which serve as the "mother body" of fiber optics, have risen rapidly since early 2025: the price of general G.652D preforms has increased by over 180%; and the price of G.657.A2 preforms, used for high-density wiring in data centers, has risen from 22 yuan to 30 yuan per equivalent core kilometer to 160 yuan, an increase of nearly 550%. Several listed companies have indicated that the current increase in preform prices is due to factors such as supply and demand imbalance and the transmission of upstream raw material price increases, and predict that the shortage will continue until 2027.