Ethernet Roadmap Envisions Terabit Interfaces in 2020s

The Ethernet Alliance has published a 2015 Ethernet Roadmap that outlines the ongoing development and evolution of Ethernet through the end of the decade, while envisioning terabit speed interfaces scaling up to 10 Tbps rates by 2030.

Four new speeds – 2.5 Gigabit per second (Gb/s); 5 Gb/s; 25 Gb/s; and 400 Gb/s Ethernet – are currently in development by the IEEE, while the industry is also considering 50Gb/s and 200 Gb/s Ethernet.

The 2015 Ethernet Roadmap looks at Ethernet’s accelerating evolution and expansion in four key areas: consumer and residential; enterprise and campus; hyperscale data centers; and service providers. The roadmap provides visibility into the underlying technologies, including electrical and optical infrastructures. It further highlights the different area’s rate progressions, while emphasizing the changing dynamics and challenges within the Ethernet ecosystem, which includes support for wireless technologies such as 802.11ac.

“Ethernet is constantly evolving and diversifying into new markets and application spaces. Such expansion is successful when there is greater visibility about a technology’s future. The 2015 Ethernet Roadmap will allow the industry to peer into Ethernet’s future,” said Scott Kipp, president, Ethernet Alliance; and principal technologist, Brocade. “The roadmap, developed by our members, will help users understand where Ethernet is going. Such insight will heighten confidence to the market that Ethernet has a clear path forward and help further drive adoption of Ethernet solutions.”

http://www.ethernetalliance.org/roadmap