Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd. of Tokyo, the first company to receive Thunderbolt certification from Intel Corp. of Santa Clara, Calif., has begun volume production of the optical cable. Based on the Thunderbolt technology, the new cable, developed by Sumitomo in 2012, enables long-distance data transmission up to 30 m to connect Thunderbolt devices together. The cables, suitable for daily use, offer high bending performance and are the same diameter as conventional metal cables. Optical Thunderbolt cable.