Comcast tests Broadcom's 10G Full Duplex DOCSIS 4.0 chip

Comcast has conducted the first-ever lab test of a Full Duplex DOCSIS system-on-chip (SOC) device from Broadcom that is expected to become the world’s first production silicon to be developed using the DOCSIS 4.0 Full Duplex standard.

“We are always pushing the envelope to stay ahead of our customers’ growing needs,” said Charlie Herrin, President of Technology, Product, Xperience at Comcast Cable. “This milestone is particularly exciting, because this technology is an important step forward toward unlocking multigigabit upload and download speeds for hundreds of millions of people worldwide, not just a select few.”

Comcast technologists in Philadelphia and Denver conducted the test by installing the Broadcom SOC in a simulated network environment to track the performance of its Full Duplex DOCSIS features – including echo cancellation and overlapping spectrum – which combine to support substantial improvements in network throughput. In the test environment, the research team demonstrated the ability of the SOC to deliver upstream and downstream throughputs of greater than 4 gigabits per second (Gbps). Future optimization is expected to drive even greater capacity.

Elad Nafshi, Senior Vice President of Next Generation Access Networks at Comcast Cable, said that the performance of the Broadcom SOC in Comcast’s simulated network environment exceeded expectations, and sets the stage for expanded testing later this year.

“With this test we gain a powerful new tool to support our mission of delivering the best possible connected experiences to our customers,” Nafshi said.

The Full Duplex DOCSIS test is the latest milestone on Comcast’s path to 10G. Last October, Comcast technologists were able to deliver 1.25 Gig symmetrical speeds over a live, all-digital network by leveraging advances in Distributed Access Architecture, Remote PHY digital nodes, and a cloud-based virtualized cable modem termination system platform (vCMTS). Even as Comcast works to test and deploy Full Duplex DOCSIS to enable multigigabit upload and download speeds in the future, the company is leveraging the technologies from the October trial, along with DOCSIS 3.1 in the upstream, to increase speed and capacity in the near term.

https://corporate.comcast.com/press/releases/comcast-conducts-ull-duplex-chip-multi-gigabit-symmetrical-speeds

CableLabs releases DOCSIS 4.0 spec for 10G downlinks

Thursday, March 26, 2020  10G, Cable Labs  

CableLabs released the DOCSIS 4.0 specification, which incorporates both full-duplex and extended spectrum capabilities enabling a downstream speed of up to 10 Gbps (doubling the maximum download speed available with DOCSIS 3.1 technology) and an upstream speed of up to 6 Gbps - quadrupling what DOCSIS 3.1

Work on DOCSIS 4.0 has been underway since August 2016.

In a blog post, Doug Jones, Principal Architect, says the DOCSIS 4.0 specification reflects the four pillars of the 10G platform initiative: speed, lower latency, increased security, and higher reliability.

https://www.cablelabs.com/on-the-path-to-10g-cablelabs-publishes-docsis-4-0-specification

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Bell Canada activates 400G wavelength service

 Bell Canada launched a commercial 400G wavelength service powered by Ciena's WaveLogic 5 Extreme technology.

The 400G service is now deployed across major spans of Bell's 17,000 km fiber infrastructure. Bell plans to expand the service across Canada in the coming months.

"Bell 400G wavelength service efficiently delivers the speed and capacity necessary to meet the fast-growing demand of bandwidth-intensive operators moving massive amounts of data and content to the cloud," said Ivan Mihaljevic, Senior Vice President, Wholesale at Bell Canada. "Bell's unparalleled network infrastructure and customer support, coupled with Ciena's market-leading optical wavelength technology, offers major operators here in Canada and internationally the opportunity to scale up easily, efficiently and sustainably with our highly energy efficient 400G capabilities."

"The global shift to 400G is happening and Bell Canada is leading the way by evolving its network to support the insatiable and often unpredictable network demand driven by the cloud, streaming video and more," said Bruce Hembree, Vice President and General Manager for the Americas at Ciena. "With WaveLogic 5 Extreme, Bell can offer new, high bandwidth 400G services to carrier and content provider customers between key points of presence across Canada and into the US."

https://www.bce.ca/news-and-media/releases/show/Bell-Canada-rolls-out-commercial-400G-wavelength-on-fibre-optic-backbone

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EPFL develops ultralow-loss integrated photonic circuits

Researchers at the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) are developing ultralow-loss integrated photonic circuits based on silicon nitride (Si3N4), whose exceptionally low optical loss are orders of magnitude lower than that of silicon.

The work, which is led by Professor Tobias J. Kippenberg at EPFL’s School of Basic Sciences, has just been published in Nature Communications.

"Combining nanofabrication and material science, the technology is based on the photonic Damascene process developed at EPFL. Using this process, the team made integrated circuits of optical losses of only 1 dB/m, a record value for any nonlinear integrated photonic material. Such low loss significantly reduces the power budget for building chip-scale optical frequency combs (“microcombs”), used in applications like coherent optical transceivers, low-noise microwave synthesizers, LiDAR, neuromorphic computing, and even optical atomic clocks. The team used the new technology to develop meter-long waveguides on 5x5 mm2 chips and high-quality-factor microresonators. They also report high fabrication yield, which is essential for scaling up to industrial production."

“These chip devices have already been used for parametric optical amplifiers, narrow-linewidth lasers and chip-scale frequency combs”, says Dr Junqiu Liu who led the fabrication at EPFL’s Center of MicroNanoTechnology (CMi). “We are also looking forward to seeing our technology being used for emerging applications such as coherent LiDAR, photonic neural networks, and quantum computing.”

https://news.epfl.ch/news/new-tech-builds-ultralow-loss-integrated-photonic-/

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Intel posts rise in EPS, dip in data center sales

 Intel reported Q1 revenue of $19.7 billion (GAAP), down 1 percent year over year (YoY), and non-GAAP revenue of $18.6 billion, flat YoY, which exceeded January guidance by $1.1 billion. First-quarter GAAP earnings-per-share (EPS) was $0.82; non-GAAP EPS was $1.39, which exceeded January guidance by $0.29.

“Intel delivered strong first-quarter results driven by exceptional demand for our leadership products and outstanding execution by our team. The response to our new IDM 2.0 strategy has been extraordinary, our product roadmap is gaining momentum, and we’re rapidly progressing our plans with re-invigorated focus on innovation and execution,” said Pat Gelsinger, Intel CEO. “This is a pivotal year for Intel. We are setting our strategic foundation and investing to accelerate our trajectory and capitalize on the explosive growth in semiconductors that power our increasingly digital world.”

First-quarter revenue exceeded January guidance by $1.1 billion led by continued, 

Intel said its results were driven by strong PC demand. PC unit volumes were up 38 percent YoY, and notebook volumes set a new Intel record. The company also saw initial recovery of Enterprise and Government sales in the Data Center Group (DCG). 

Intel also achieved better-than-expected revenue in Internet of Things Group (IOTG) and Mobileye, and Mobileye set a new revenue record in the quarter.

https://www.intc.com/financial-info

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Infovista acquires Empirix, adding monitoring, assurance, analytics

Infovista has acquired Empirix, a Thoma Bravo portfolio company. Financial terms were not disclosed. As part of the operation, Thoma Bravo becomes a minority shareholder of Infovista, with Apax Partners remaining the major shareholder.

Empirix is a leader in network and service testing, performance monitoring, assurance and analytics. It serves Tier 1 CSPs and large Contact Centers of Fortune Global 500 companies. Empirix has invested heavily since 2017 to develop KLERITY, which is a cloud-native monitoring, assurance and analytics solution for 5G and IoT. Empirix is headquartered in Billerica, Massachusetts, and employs approximately 300 people worldwide.

Infovista said the acquisition extends its ability to serve CSPs globally and expands the capabilities of its cloud-native, open platform which manages the entire network lifecycle. This enables the digital transformation of CSPs and the acceleration of 5G deployments while delivering unprecedented efficiency and productivity levels in managing both 5G and legacy networks. It also enables CSPs to deploy new revenue generating services from digital services, IoT, network slicing and monetization of data and network assets.

“The union of Infovista and Empirix gives all our clients a unique opportunity to reap the benefits of 5G, IoT and private networks, and to move fast towards a software-based and cloud-native future. By bringing network lifecycle automation to a strategic level, we provide CSPs with new ways to improve their productivity, customer experience and time-to-market,” commented José Duarte, CEO of Infovista. “With this acquisition, we also increase our presence in North America and Europe to expand our global footprint and strengthen our ability to help clients accelerate their network and business transformation.”

“Telco CTOs today face a complex technology landscape with a large number of vendors. They are looking to support innovation and increase efficiency of operations through automation,” noted James Crawshaw, Principal Analyst at Omdia. “Empirix’s cloud-native assurance and analytics solutions should round out Infovista’s existing portfolio of solutions that span the network lifecycle. Better network visibility and increased automation are key to supporting the business goals of CSPs in the 5G era.”

“The industry is looking at 5G standalone and network slicing as the next major engines for business growth especially around IoT and private network opportunities. Empirix helps deliver the promise and full benefits of these exciting technologies with its cloud-native and automated customer experience assurance and analytics,” added John D’Anna, CEO of Empirix. “This is the perfect time for Empirix to join Infovista, expand the market for KLERITY and take it to the next level.”

 http://www.infovista.com

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Spirent intros subscription-based Automated 5G Core Test Suite

Spirent Communications introduced a subscription-based, automated 5G core test platform designed to accelerate time to market for service providers and significantly reduce costs associated with 5G core validation.

The Spirent Landslide 5GC Automation Package provides access to a managed library of hundreds of prebuilt test cases covering compliance, capacity, and performance testing for nodal, adjacency and end-to-end assessment, including the largest nodal coverage in the industry. It is built around a number of award-winning products and solutions such as Spirent Landslide core emulation, Spirent Velocity test automation, and the company’s world-class professional services.

“This is a true automation pipeline approach for service providers that need to accelerate their 5G deployment while managing tight budgets and resources,” said Doug Roberts, general manager of Spirent’s Lifecycle Service Assurance business. “The value extends well beyond initial deployment, helping validate network changes and, as standards evolve, eliminating the need to resource for ongoing test development.”

“Customers will not only benefit from significant time and cost savings, they can also be confident that they are relying on Spirent’s extensive 5G expertise and proven test methodologies to minimize risk and ensure their 5G rollouts are a success,” added Roberts.

http://www.spirent.com/Landslide5GCAP

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Druva raises $147 million for cloud data protection

Druva, a start-up based in Sunnyvale, California, announced $147 million new funding for its Cloud Data Protection and Management solutions.

The Druva Cloud Platform, which the company describes as the largest cloud-native SaaS platform operating at scale, enables organizations to centrally protect data, including cloud environments and leading SaaS applications such as Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and Salesforce.

The funding round was led by Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), a global investment group, with a significant investment by Neuberger Berman. The round, which raises the company’s valuation above $2 billion, also included participation from existing investors Viking Global Investors and Atreides Management. 

“Rising volumes of stored data, rapid adoption of cloud and deployment of SaaS applications, regulatory frameworks and cybersecurity concerns have accelerated the demand for data protection and management solutions for businesses,” said Alexandre Synnett, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, CDPQ. “The working-from-home dynamic experienced globally has further accentuated the need for cloud-based data protection solutions and we believe Druva is in an excellent position to seize opportunities and enhance its clients’ agility and data compliance.”

Druva Cloud Platform’s customer base has expanded substantially during 2020, while the adoption of multiple Druva Cloud Platform products has increased by 50 percent in the same time period. In the last year, the company’s data under management has grown by more than 40 percent as Druva supports industry leaders, disruptors, and pioneers including GameStop, Marriott, NASA, National Cancer Institute, Pfizer, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, and Zoom.

“The unprecedented events of 2020 have ushered in a generational cloud transformation for businesses, and data‘s increasing value is at the very heart of it,” said Jaspreet Singh, founder and CEO, Druva. “Druva pioneered the cloud data protection category almost a decade ago and has led the way in defining the architecture, business model, and user experience our customers now expect. This investment and our continued, rapid growth is further validation of our vision for a simple, open, and unified data protection and management platform.”

http://www.druva.com

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Expedera develops deep-learning accelerator (DLA) for AI silicon

Expedera, a start-up based in Santa Clara, California, emerged from stealth to unveil its Origin neural engine intellectual property (IP) for edge system silicon.

Expedera, which plans to license its deep-learning accelerator (DLA) technology to SoC designers, is targetting low-power edge devices like smartphones, tablets, computers, edge servers, and automotive. The company says its deep-learning accelerator (DLA) provides up to 18 TOPS/W at 7nm, which is up to ten times more than competitive offerings while minimizing memory requirements. Origin accelerates the performance of neural network models such as object detection, recognition, segmentation, super-resolution, and natural language processing. 

Expedera's co-founders include Da Chuang (CEO), who previously was cofounder and COO of Memoir Systems (an optimized memory IP startup acquired by Cisco); Siyad Ma (VP Engineering), who previously led Algorithmic TCAM ASIC and IP teams for Cisco Nexus7k, MDS, Cat4k/6k; and Sharad Chole (Chief Scientist), who previously was an architect at Cisco, Memoir Systems (Cisco), and Microsoft. 

https://www.expedera.com/

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