MIT: a new technique for assembling on-chip optics and electronics separately

A team of researchers led by groups at MIT, the University of California at Berkeley, and Boston University, have developed a technique for assembling on-chip optics and electronics separately using existing manufacturing processes.

The work, which is described in an article in the latest issue of Nature, allows the addition of optical communication components onto chips with modern transistors.

“The most promising thing about this work is that you can optimize your photonics independently from your electronics,” says Amir Atabaki, a research scientist at MIT’s Research Laboratory of Electronics and one of three first authors on the new paper. “We have different silicon electronic technologies, and if we can just add photonics to them, it’d be a great capability for future communications and computing chips. For example, now we could imagine a microprocessor manufacturer or a GPU manufacturer like Intel or Nvidia saying, ‘This is very nice. We can now have photonic input and output for our microprocessor or GPU.’ And they don’t have to change much in their process to get the performance boost of on-chip optics.”

http://news.mit.edu/2018/integrating-optical-components-existing-chip-designs-0419

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NTT develops new QoE technique in video streaming

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) has demonstrated a video quality control technology based on Quality of Experience (QoE) in video streaming over mobile networks.

The QoE of video streaming to a mobile handset is evaluated by NTT's algorithm. Future communication quality is then predicted considering the user's environment. The algorithm optimally controls the bitrate in the midst of video streaming so as to achieve the preset QoE target.

NTT said its technology for video streaming enables maximum QoE, while reducing traffic over the network.

http://www.ntt.co.jp/news2018/1804e/180419a.html

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China Unicom and Huawei collaborate on 5G slicing research

China Unicom and Huawei agreed to jointly carry out research, demonstration, and application of 5G network slicing, develop key technologies and solutions for China Unicom's 5G network slicing services and applications, jointly promote industry chain development, and apply slices to more vertical industry markets, such as VR/AR games, industrial control, Internet of Vehicles (IoV), and the Internet of Things (IoT).

Zhang Yong, President of China Unicom Network Technology Research Institute, said: "Network slicing is a key native capability of 5G, which can maximize the efficiency of communications networks and reduce network construction and O&M costs. In the 5G era, the concepts of slice as a capability and slice as a product have become an industry consensus. China Unicom will demonstrate the multi-scenario slicing service in vertical industries and deepen the integration with the industry to facilitate digitalization in China.

“We hope that both parties can focus efforts on terminals, chips, networks, and vertical industries, accelerate the slice demonstration and application, and jointly build a new 5G slicing ecosystem in 2018 and 2019, for the purpose of formulating the 5G blueprint, creating completely new markets for 5G, and achieving a win-win through 5G network deployment," continued Zhang Yong.

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Ericsson explores 5G use case with jet engine components

Ericsson and the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology are exploring a 5G use case that concerns the production of jet engine components.

The components concerned, so-called blade integrated disks (blisk), are high-tech components where the disk and blades are produced as a single piece and serve the purpose of compressing the air inside jet engines. They are milled out of solid pieces of metal and have extremely high requirements towards accuracy and surface integrity.

5G's high-bandwidth and low latency are leveraged for controlling factory equipment. Ericsson's 5G trial system operating on 3.5 GHz is connected to an acceleration sensor mounted directly on the blisk in the production machinery. The vibration spectrum is transmitted in real time via 5G to the evaluation system. The very low latency helps correlate the vibration to the tool's position and enable prompt adjustment of the production process.

Thomas Dautl, Director of Manufacturing Technology, MTU Aero Engines, says: "A blade-integrated disk is a high-value component. The milling process takes 15-20 hours and the total lead time is around 3-4 months, including coating processes and quality checks. The new 5G-based production technology will help make our operations more efficient."

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Corning in conversation with Verizon

Part 2



Will the new wave of wireless cannibalize fiber? At the end of the day, you cannot beat the bandwidth of fiber, says Glenn Wellbrock, Director, Backbone Network Design, Verizon. On the contrary, the new wave of wireless will drive significant deployments of fiber deep into the network.

In this conversation, Glenn and Bob Whitman, VP of Market Development, Corning, talk about Verizon's One Fiber program.

See video - part 1: https://youtu.be/Sq7F5OVflyA

See video - part 2: hhttps://youtu.be/pYeZjLkuytc

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Data Center constructions booms in Des Moines, Iowa

Data center is booming in Iowa -- there are more than 6,150,000 square feet of data center space built or slated to be built in the Greater Des Moines (DSM) region. Some highlights:

• There is an average of 800 construction workers on site at Facebook's Altoona data centers. 
• To date, Facebook has constructed 1.5 million square feet of data center space and has 1 million square feet under construction. The total spend is expected to be around $1.5 billion.
• Microsoft's data center buildings currently total a little under 1.5 million square feet with 1.7 million square feet planned for its third campus in West Des Moines.
• LightEdge Solutions has two data centers totaling 78,000 square feet in Altoona and employs more than 100 people. 
• In 2017, Apple announced 400,000 square feet of data center space will be a built in Waukee. Construction will begin this summer.

The data was provided by the Greater Des Moines Partnership, an economic and community development organization that serves the region.

"DSM has built a reputation as a tech hub offering affordable renewable energy and high skilled talent," said Jay Byers, Greater Des Moines Partnership CEO. "Data center activity means jobs for hundreds of tech and construction workers, revenue for local cities and increased national and international exposure for our region."

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Brazil Tower raises $104M in debt financing for expansion

Brazil Tower Company (BTC), a privately-held, neutral host tower company with over 600 wireless towers currently in its portfolio, recently closed on US$79 million of a $104 million long-term senior secured debt financing with three international lenders led by Cordiant Capital of Montreal, Canada.  BTC expects to close on the remaining $25 million of financing during Q3 of this year. 

BTC, whose customers include the major wireless operators including Telefonica, TIM and Claro, plans to use the funds to add 600 more towers.

"We are very excited about the growth we are realizing in Brazil through new tower development and new collocations and amendments.  Our backlog of new towers and pipeline for growth is the strongest we have seen since 2015," said Tom Staz, BTC's Chief Financial Officer and a partner at 1848 Capital Partners in Miami, BTC's primary equity sponsor.  "With the support of our new debt facility and a large inventory of customer orders, we will continue to strategically rollout new tower sites over the next 18 - 24 months to double the size of our tower portfolio and triple the cash flows of the business."

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Molex and Rosenberger sign dual-sourcing agreement for automotive coaxial connectors

Molex and Rosenberger have signed a dual-sourcing agreement allowing Molex to produce High-Speed FAKRA-Mini automotive coaxial connectors based on the Rosenberger HFM design, which support data rates up to 20 Gbps. Rosenberger HFM FAKRA-Mini system is designed for a range of existing and future automotive applications, such as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), navigation, infotainment and intelligent connected vehicles.

With the dual sourcing agreement, the companies provide a high-quality, high-speed, cost-optimized intermateable interface with identical mechanical and electrical performance and features. The solution delivers seamless backward compatibility for the automotive market.

“Molex is excited to collaborate with Rosenberger to launch the dual-sourced HFM solution that enables high-speed data transmission fundamental to connected vehicle technology,” said Ryan Price, networking segment director, Molex. “Our shared vision is to deliver a high value, cost effective solution that provides design flexibility and backward compatibility.”

“Ensuring safety is the ultimate priority of ADAS and autonomous driving systems, and HFM connectors play a key role in processing the high data volumes from cameras, sensors, navigation sources and other external objects in real time,” said Dr. Tosja Zywietz, CEO, Rosenberger. “We are pleased to collaborate with Molex on making this next-generation coax connector widely available to the automotive industry as a quasi standard.”

https://www.molex.com/automotive



Aquantia partnership - The Molex 10 Gbps Automotive Ethernet Network incorporates an Aquantia chip optimized for Multi-Gig 

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