Monday, April 4, 2016

Ethernet Alliance's 2016 Ethernet Roadmap


Scott Kipp, President of the Ethernet Alliance, gives an overview of the 2016 Ethernet Roadmap, including a look at new speeds under development, the different types of copper and optical modules, and the new Flex Ethernet.

YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/jyXnbQbuPXA



Mellanox Introduces InfiniBand Router

Mellanox Technologies introduced a new line of InfiniBand router systems based on its Switch-IB switch ASIC and aimed at next generation mega data centers.

The new EDR 100Gb/s InfiniBand Routers offers 36 EDR 100Gb/s ports, which can be split among six different subnets.

Mellanox said its new InfiniBand Router brings increases resiliency by segregating the data center’s network into several subnets; with each subnet running its own subnet-manager (SM) thereby effectively isolating each subnet, and thus providing better availability and stability. For example, the storage subnets may use a Fat-Tree topology while the compute subnets may use 3D-torus, DragonFly+, Fat-Tree or other topologies that best fit the local application. The SB7780 can also help split the cluster in order to segregate between applications that run best on localized resources and between applications that require a full fabric. The design also enables scaling the fabric up to a virtually unlimited number of nodes.

"The SB7780 InfiniBand Router adds another layer to Mellanox's solutions that pave the road to Exascale solutions," said Gilad Shainer, vice president of marketing at Mellanox. "This new InfiniBand Router gives us the ability to scale up to a virtually unlimited number of nodes and yet sustain the data processing demands of machine learning, IoT, HPC and cloud applications. Mellanox's EDR 100Gb/s InfiniBand solutions, together with the SB7780 router, represent the only scalable solution currently available on the market that support these needs."

http://www.mellanox.com/

Mellanox Intros 100Gbps InfiniBand Switch

Mellanox Technologies introduced its next generation InfiniBand switch for High-Performance Computing, Web 2.0, database and cloud data centers.

The Mellanox Switch-IB 2 is capable of 100 Gbps per port speeds and is the world's first smart network switch that offloads MPI operations from the CPU to the network to deliver 10X performance improvements. It integrates 144 SerDes which can operate at 1Gbps to 25Gbps speeds per lane and delivers 7.02 billion messages-per-second, 90ns switch latency and low power consumption, making Switch-IB 2 the best solution for high-performance computing, cloud, Web 2.0, database and storage centers.

Mellanox said a major innovation is that the switch can manage collective communications (MPI and SHMEM) using embedded hardware, decreading the amount of data traversing the network, reducing application latency with additional benefit of freeing up CPU resources for computation rather than using them to process communication.

GigOptix Acquires Magnum Semi - Changes Name to GigPeak

GigOptix agreed to acquire Magnum Semiconductor for approximately $55 million.

Magnum, which is based in Milpitas, California, aupplies ICs, SoCs, software, and IP for the professional video broadcast and IoT camera markets. The privately-held company claims approximately $19 million in revenue in FY 2015.

GigOptix also announced that it is changing its name to GigPeak, Inc., and that it will continue to trade on the NYSE MKT exchange under the symbol “GIG.”

The company said its corporate rebranding reflects its broadening scope, uniting GigOptix’s high-speed enterprise networking connectivity portfolio with Magnum’s expertise in video broadcasting, compression, and analytics.

“We have a long and proven track record of acquiring and integrating cutting edge technology companies in the most financially prudent manner. The acquisition of Magnum Semiconductor, our eighth acquisition since inception, is another important step in realizing our initial 2007 roadmap vision and strategic plan to expand GigOptix through inorganic and organic growth. With the addition of Magnum Semiconductor, we have taken a meaningful step in expanding our product portfolio to further enhance our mission of enabling high-speed and high-quality information streaming end-to-end over the network, from the core to the consumer,” said Dr. Avi Katz, GigOptix’s Founder, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer.

http://www.gigoptix.com/

Brocade to Acquire Ruckus Wireless for $1.5 Billion

Brocade agreed to acquire Ruckus Wireless in a deal valued at approximately $1.5 billion, consisting of $6.45 in cash and 0.75 shares of Brocade common stock for each share of Ruckus common stock.

Ruckus' wireless products add to Brocade's enterprise portfolio and will also significantly strengthen Brocade's strategic presence in the broader service provider space. Ruckus has over $370 million in annual revenue and over 1,000 employees worldwide. Ruckus Wireless' current CEO, Selina Lo, will continue to lead this division, reporting to Brocade CEO, Lloyd Carney.  Ruckus is based in Sunnyvale, California, not far from the Brocade headquarters.

"This strategic combination will position us to expand our addressable market and technology leadership with Ruckus' fast-growing wireless LAN products, and supports our vision to deliver market-leading New IP solutions that enable the network to become a platform for innovation," said Lloyd Carney.

"The combination of our two companies will create an exciting new thought leader in networking and significant opportunities for our stakeholders to participate in the combined company's future growth potential," said Selina Lo. "We operate in adjacent segments of the larger networking market with a number of common customers for our complementary products, and have a successful track record of working together."

An investor presentation is on the Brocade website.

http://newsroom.brocade.com/

Samsung: First 10-Nanometer Class DRAM Enters Production

Samsung Electronics announced the start of mass production of the industry’s first 10-nanometer (nm) class, 8-gigabit (Gb) DDR4 (double-data-rate-4) DRAM chips and the modules derived from them. The milestone is expected to accelerate the industry-wide shift to advanced DDR4 products.

The production of Samsung's 10nm-class DRAM uses ArF (argon fluoride) immersion lithography, free from the use of EUV (extreme ultra violet) equipment.

“Samsung’s 10nm-class DRAM will enable the highest level of investment efficiency in IT systems, thereby becoming a new growth engine for the global memory industry,” said Young-Hyun Jun, President of Memory Business, Samsung Electronics. “In the near future, we will also launch next-generation, 10nm-class mobile DRAM products with high densities to help mobile manufacturers develop even more innovative products that add to the convenience of mobile device users.”

The new DRAM supports a data transfer rate of 3,200 Mbps, which is more than 30 percent faster than the 2,400Mbps rate of 20nm DDR4 DRAM. Also, new modules produced from the 10nm-class DRAM chips consume 10 to 20 percent less power, compared to their 20nm-process-based equivalents, which will improve the design efficiency of next-generation, high-performance computing (HPC) systems and other large enterprise networks, as well as being used for the PC and mainstream server markets.

http://www.samsung.com

HPE Sells its Stake in Mphasis - IT Services Arm in Bangalore

Hewlett Packard Enterprise will sell its equity stake in Mphasis Limited, an IT services provider in Bangalore, to private equity funds managed by The Blackstone Group, for US$825 million.  Specifically, Blackstone will purchase at least 84% of HPE's stake in Mphasis for INR 430 per share. Blackstone will purchase the maximum amount of the remaining 16% stake that is permitted by Indian securities laws and subject to the outcome of a mandatory tender offer between signing and closing.

"While our financial relationship is changing, the business and commercial relationship with Mphasis remains an important part of our service delivery strategy," said Mike Nefkens, EVP and GM of HPE Enterprise Services. "We remain committed to our strategic partnership with Mphasis and to providing our customers with the high level of service and support they expect from HPE."

In fiscal year 2015, HPE recognized approximately $650 million of revenue and $110 million of operating profit from Mphasis.

http://www8.hp.com/

Malaysia's PCS Deploys Infinera Mobile Fronthaul

Kaula Lumpur-based Platinum Core Solutions (PCS) has deployed the Infinera Mobile Fronthaul Solution to provide a mobile wholesale service from the central office all the way to a shared cell tower in Malaysia.

Specifically, PCS deployed Infinera’s Mobile Fronthaul Solution in its network to support mobile operator customers as they migrate to the C-RAN architecture. The mobile fronthaul network is part of a wider wholesale offering that spans from the central office locations of PCS’ customers to a new shared tower facility.

Infinera said its Mobile Fronthaul Solution enables PCS to deliver an economically advantageous mobile network that supports multiple mobile operators using the same infrastructure. The Infinera Mobile Fronthaul Solution is designed to support all Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) and Open Base Station Architecture Initiative (OBSAI) rates, ranging from 614 megabits per second to 12 gigabits per second. By deploying the passive option of the Infinera Mobile Fronthaul Solution, PCS benefits from a highly flexible infrastructure across its network that is capable of supporting the company’s mobile operator customers as their capacity demands grow.

“PCS’ deployment of the Infinera Mobile Fronthaul Solution is the first in Malaysia, leading what we expect to be global adoption of this commercially deployable fiber-deep WDM technology,” said Andrew Bond-Webster, vice president of APAC Sales at Infinera. “With this deployment, PCS enables mobile operators to roll out advanced C-RAN architectures to support the massive growth of mobile data that is expected to continue for the next several years.”

http://www.infinera.com



Affirmed Releases Service Automation Platform

Affirmed Networks introduced its Affirmed Service Automation Platform (ASAP) for legacy and virtualized networks of mobile operators.

Affirmed Networks said its solution provides broad service automation across a wide range of standard network element interfaces, enabling non-programmers to quickly create service templates or recipes from existing methods of procedure (MOPs) and execute those recipes across the entire network.

"Today, NFV is being deployed globally as a result of the transformational benefits it can provide in terms of both cost savings and revenue-creation," said Angela Whiteford, Affirmed Networks' Vice President, Product Management and Marketing.  "Automation is the missing link that enables rapid service creation in legacy and virtualized environments and allows operators to create new services that were not possible before in their current environment."

http://www.affirmednetworks.com/