The U.S. Department of Energy unveiled the newest generation of its high- performance Energy Sciences Network (ESnet), which connects all of DoE's national laboratories, tens of thousands of DoE-funded researchers, and DoE’s premier scientific instruments and supercomputing centers. In 2021, ESnet carried over 1.1 exabytes of science data. Traffic on ESnet increases by a factor of ten every four years.
The new ESnet6 now offers 46 Terabits per second of bandwidth of capacity and supports programmable, and automated services that are uniquely built to support the multi- petabyte dataflows typical of science research today and are future-proofed to manage the emerging exabyte data era.
Specifically, new ESnet6 capabilities and services include:
● A dedicated 15,000 miles of fiber optic cable footprint
● Network backbone links ranging from 400 Gbps to 1 Tbps
● Customizable network services via a new automation platform
● High-precision telemetry to improve network performance
● Improved overall network security
● A future programmable API platform for scientists to directly request custom network services
Technology partners include Lumen Technologies, Ciena, Infinera, Nokia, and AMD.
“ESnet6 represents a transformational change in the way networks are built for research, with improved capacity, resiliency, and flexibility,” said ESnet Executive Director Inder Monga. “Together, these new capabilities make it faster, easier, and more efficient for scientists around the world to conduct and collaborate on ground-breaking research.”
"ESnet6 provides the foundation for the future of the DOE mission science as we enter an age where discoveries will rely on the integration of scientific experimental facilities,supercomputers, and global science teams operating together as if they are colocated: one instrument in one location,” Monga added. “ESnet6 interconnects all of these resources to create a holistic science discovery system.”
ESnet6 was officially unveiled at a special event attended by DOE and Berkeley Lab leadership, as well as local, state, and federal government representatives, including U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Lee and Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, Director of the DOE’s Office of Science. The event also featured keynote talks from Internet pioneer Vint Cerf, Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist for Google and ESnet Policy Board member; and Ian Foster, Distinguished Fellow at Argonne National Laboratory and Professor of Computer Science at the University of Chicago.