ESnet6 brings 46 Tbps capacity with 400 Gbps ~ 1 Tbps backbone links

 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.

www.lbl.gov

ESnet and GÉANT upgrade loop to 200Gbps

Friday, August 13, 2021    

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Sciences Network (ESnet) and GÉANT, Europe’s leading collaboration on e-infrastructure and services for research and education,have boosted the capacity of ESnet’s network loop in Western Europe to 200 Gbps. This upgraded network connects to ESnet’s 400 Gbps transatlantic network.“This upgrade to 200G is an important milestone for ESnet because it opens up more bandwidth, network reliability, and flexibility...

READ MORE

ESnet upgrades optical backbone with Infinera

Tuesday, October 27, 2020  Esnet, Infinera  

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Energy Sciences Network (ESnet) has selected Infinera to build the optical substrate for its next-generation science network, ESnet6, interconnecting the DOE’s national laboratory system and experimental facilities with research and commercial networks around the globe. ESnet connects all of the DOE’s geographically distributed laboratories, experimental facilities, and computing centers across a dedicated fiber...

READ MORE

ESnet6 makes progress toward 400G upgrade

Monday, August 17, 2020  400G, Esnet  

The Energy Sciences Network (ESnet) is making great progress with the rollout of ESnet6, its next-generation network dedicated to serving the Department of Energy (DOE) national lab complex and overseas collaborators. ESnet6, which is expected to be complete in 2023, will see the deployment of next gen optical, core and service edge equipment on ESnet’s dedicated fiber optic cable backbone. “We’ve had some delays, but our first priority is making...

READ MORE

Read More

Summary of new U.S. multilateral controls on advanced semiconductors

 The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) announced a set of updates to its export controls aimed at restricting the People's Republic of China’s ability to obtain advanced computing chips, develop and maintain supercomputers, and manufacture advanced semiconductors. 

Specifically, the updated rule:

1. Adds certain advanced and high-performance computing chips and computer commodities that contain such chips to the Commerce Control List (CCL);
2. Adds new license requirements for items destined for a supercomputer or semiconductor development or production end use in the PRC;
3. Expands the scope of the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) over certain foreign-produced advanced computing items and foreign produced items for supercomputer end uses;
4. Expands the scope of foreign-produced items subject to license requirements to twenty-eight existing entities on the Entity List that are located in the PRC;
5. Adds certain semiconductor manufacturing equipment and related items to the CCL;
6. Adds new license requirements for items destined to a semiconductor fabrication “facility” in the PRC that fabricates ICs meeting specified. Licenses for facilities owned by PRC entities will face a “presumption of denial,” and facilities owned by multinationals will be decided on a case-by-case basis. The relevant thresholds are as follows:  Logic chips with non-planar transistor architectures (I.e., FinFET or GAAFET) of 16nm or 14nm, or below;  DRAM memory chips of 18nm half-pitch or less; NAND flash memory chips with 128 layers or more.
7. Restricts the ability of U.S. persons to support the development, or production, of ICs at certain PRC-located semiconductor fabrication “facilities” without a license;
8. Adds new license requirements to export items to develop or produce semiconductor manufacturing equipment and related items; and
9. Establishes a Temporary General License (TGL) to minimize the short-term impact on the semiconductor supply chain by allowing specific, limited manufacturing activities related to items destined for use outside the PRC.

“As I told Congress in July, my north star at BIS is to ensure that we are appropriately doing everything in our power to protect our national security and prevent sensitive technologies with military applications from being acquired by the People’s Republic of China’s military, intelligence, and security services,” said Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Alan Estevez. “The threat environment is always changing, and we are updating our policies today to make sure we’re addressing the challenges posed by the PRC while we continue our outreach and coordination with allies and partners.”

“The PRC has poured resources into developing supercomputing capabilities and seeks to become a world leader in artificial intelligence by 2030. It is using these capabilities to monitor, track, and surveil their own citizens, and fuel its military modernization,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration Thea D. Rozman Kendler. “Our actions will protect U.S. national security and foreign policy interests while also sending a clear message that U.S. technological leadership is about values as well as innovation.”

https://www.bis.doc.gov/index.php/documents/about-bis/newsroom/press-releases/3158-2022-10-07-bis-press-release-advanced-computing-and-semiconductor-manufacturing-controls-final/file

Read More

U.S. DoE offers $42 million for data center cooling innovation

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is offering up to $42 million in funding for the development of high-performance energy efficient cooling solutions for data centers. 

Data centers account for approximately 2% of total U.S. electricity production while data center cooling can account for up to 40% of data center energy usage overall. 

DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) will fund projects that seek to reduce the amount of energy data centers use for cooling to lower the operational carbon footprint associated with powering and cooling data centers. This funding will support President Biden’s goals to reach net zero carbon emissions economy-wide by no later than 2050.  

ARPA-E's Cooling Operations Optimized for Leaps in Energy, Reliable and Carbon Hyperefficiency for Information Processing Systems (COOLERCHIPS) funding program aims to develop highly efficient and reliable cooling systems that will enable a new class of efficient power-dense computational systems, data centers and modular systems. The program will prioritize four technical categories for cooling system innovation opportunities:  

• Energy-efficient cooling solutions for next generation high power density servers
• High power density modular data centers that can be operated anywhere efficiently
• Software and modeling tool development to design and optimize data centers’ energy use, CO2 footprint, reliability, and cost, simultaneously
• Facilities and best practices for efficient evaluation and demonstration of transformational technologies developed under the program. 

“Extreme weather events, like the soaring temperatures much of the country experienced this summer, also impact data centers which connect critical computing and network infrastructure and must be kept at certain temperatures to remain operational,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “Creating solutions to cool data centers efficiently and reduce the associated carbon emissions supports the technological breakthroughs needed to fight climate change and secure our clean energy future.” 

https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-announces-42-million-develop-high-performance-cooling-systems-data-centers

Read More

U.S. blocks shipments of NVIDIA's A100 and H100 to China, Russia

The U.S. government has imposed an export restriction on NVIDIA's A100 and forthcoming H100 integrated circuits to China (including Hong Kong) and Russia. The license restriction also covers NVIDIA's DGX or any other systems which incorporate A100 or H100 integrated circuits, as well as any future NVIDIA integrated circuit achieving both peak performance and chip-to-chip I/O performance equal to or greater than thresholds that are roughly equivalent to the A100, as well as any system that includes those circuits. 

The new license requirement may require NVIDIA to transition certain operations out of China. 

NVIDIA said its financial outlook for its third fiscal quarter, provided on August 24, 2022, included approximately $400 million in potential sales to China which may be subject to the new license requirement if customers do not want to purchase the Ccmpany’s alternative product offerings or if the U.S. government does not grant licenses in a timely manner or denies licenses to significant customers.

https://investor.nvidia.com/financial-info/sec-filings/default.aspx

• NVIDIA's A100, powered by itsAmpere Architecture, is the engine of the NVIDIA data center platform. A100 provides up to 20X higher performance over the prior generation and can be partitioned into seven GPU instances to dynamically adjust to shifting demands. It is available in 40GB and 80GB memory versions,the latter of which boasts the world’s fastest memory bandwidth at over 2 terabytes per second (TB/s).
• NVIDIA's H100 features fourth-generation Tensor Cores and the Transformer Engine with FP8 precision. The company claims up to 9X faster training over the prior generation for mixture-of-experts (MoE) models. The design also leverages fourth-generation NVlink, which offers 900 GB/s of GPU-to-GPU interconnect and the NVLINK Switch System, which accelerates communication by every GPU across nodes.

NVIDIA posts revenue or $6.7B, decline in gaming revenue

Wednesday, August 24, 2022  Financials, Nvidia  

In what it described as a "challenging quarter" driven primarily by weaker gaming revenue, NVIDIA reported revenue of $6.70 billion for the second quarter ended July 31, 2022, up 3% from a year ago and down 19% from the previous quarter.GAAP earnings per diluted share for the quarter were $0.26, down 72% from a year ago and down 59% from the previous quarter. Non-GAAP earnings per diluted share were $0.51, down 51% from a year ago and down 63% from...

READ MORE

NVIDIA trims outlook on lower gaming sales and supply disruptions

Monday, August 08, 2022  Nvidia  

Citing macroeconomic headwins and lower gaming sales, NVIDIA trimmed its financial outlook for the second quarter ended July 31, 2022.Second quarter revenue is expected to be approximately $6.70 billion, down 19% sequentially and up 3% from the prior year, primarily reflecting weaker than forecasted Gaming revenue. Gaming revenue was $2.04 billion, down 44% sequentially and down 33% from the prior year. Data Center revenue was $3.81 billion, up 1%...

READ MORE

NVIDIA unveils Quantum Optimized Device Architecture

Tuesday, July 12, 2022  Nvidia, Quantum  

NVIDIA outlined a new Quantum Optimized Device Architecture (QODA) for creating a coherent hybrid quantum-classical programming model. QODA is an open, unified environment for quantum processors that aims to make it easier to add quantum computing to existing applications, leveraging both today’s quantum processors, as well as simulated future quantum machines using NVIDIA DGX systems and a large installed base of NVIDIA GPUs available in scientific...

READ MORE

Read More

Biden signs CHIPS and Science Act

by James E. Carroll

President Biden signed the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, which aims to onshore domestic manufacturing of semiconductors and to substantially increase government funding for science and technology development programs, including the networking and telecommunications fields. 

The legislation provides $54.2 billion in total appropriations for CHIPS and Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation (also known as ORAN), and $82.5 billion in additional appropriations for research programs through the National Science Foundation, the Department of Commerce, NIST, NASA, and the Department of Energy.

“Today, we’re sending a clear signal to the world that we are serious about rebuilding our domestic manufacturing industry and leading the world in science and innovation for decades to come. I’m excited to get to work doing exactly that,” stated U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo. 

Key provisions of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022

Thursday, July 28, 2022  CHIPs, Gov  

The U.S. House of Representatives voted 243-187 to pass the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. The legislation was approved by the U.S. Senate last week. President Biden is now expected to sign it into law.The principal aim of the CHIPS Act is to onshore domestic manufacturing of semiconductors. It will also substantially increase government funding for science and technology development programs impacting the networking and telecommunications fields. The...

READ MORE

Read More

Key provisions of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022

The U.S. House of Representatives voted 243-187 to pass the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. The legislation was approved by the U.S. Senate last week. President Biden is now expected to sign it into law.

The principal aim of the CHIPS Act is to onshore domestic manufacturing of semiconductors. It will also substantially increase government funding for science and technology development programs impacting the networking and telecommunications fields. 

The legislation provides $54.2 billion in total appropriations for CHIPS and Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation (also known as ORAN), and $82.5 billion in additional appropriations for research programs through the National Science Foundation, the Department of Commerce, NIST, NASA, and the Department of Energy.

Here is a summary

CHIPS for America Fund:

• Manufacturing Incentives: $39 billion in financial assistance to build, expand, or modernize domestic facilities and equipment for semiconductor fabrication, assembly, testing, advanced packaging, or research and development, including $2 billion specifically for mature semiconductors. Within the incentive program, up to $6 billion may be used for the cost of direct loans and loan guarantees.
• Research and Development (R&D): $11 billion for Department of Commerce (DOC) research and development.
• National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC): A public-private partnership to conduct advanced semiconductor manufacturing R&D and prototyping; invest in new technologies; and expand workforce training and development opportunities.
• National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program: A Federal R&D program to strengthen advanced assembly, test, and packaging (ATP) capabilities, in coordination with the NSTC.
• Manufacturing USA Semiconductor Institute: A partnership between government, industry, and academia to research virtualization of semiconductor machinery, develop ATP capabilities, and design and disseminate training.
• Microelectronics Metrology R&D: A National Institute of Standards and

CHIPS for America Workforce and Education Fund: $200 million to kick start development of the domestic semiconductor workforce, which faces near-term labor shortages, by leveraging activities of the National Science Foundation.

CHIPS for America Defense Fund: $2 billion for the DoD to implement the Microelectronics Commons, a national network for onshore, university-based prototyping, lab-to-fab transition of semiconductor technologies—including DoD-unique applications—and semiconductor workforce training.

CHIPS for America International Technology Security and Innovation Fund: $500 million for the DOS, in coordination with the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Export-Import Bank, and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, to support international information and communications technology security and semiconductor supply chain activities, including supporting the development and adoption of secure and trusted telecommunications technologies, semiconductors, and other emerging technologies.

Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund: $1.5 billion through the DOC National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), in coordination with NIST, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Director of National Intelligence, among others, to spur movement towards open-architecture, software-based wireless technologies, and funding innovative, ‘leap-ahead’ technologies in the U.S. mobile broadband market.Technology (NIST) research program to advance measurement science, standards, material characterization, instrumentation, testing, and manufacturing capabilities.

O-RAN: The CHIPS & Innovation Act of 2022 would also provide $1.5 billion to implement the USA Telecom Act that was enacted in the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021. This program would help shore up the global telecommunications supply chain and limit the scope of involvement globally of telecommunication companies with close ties to the Communist Party of China, like Huawei. Funds would be used to capitalize on U.S. software advantages, accelerating development of an open-architecture model (known as OpenRAN) that would allow for alternative vendors to enter the market for specific network components, rather than having to compete with Huawei end-to-end.

Basic R&D: Expanded funding for Research and Innovation (National Science Foundation, Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology, NASA, and Department of Energy). Representing the largest five-year investment in public R&D in the nation’s history, the expanded funding aims to "grow both curiosity-driven and translational research, ensuring both the creation of new ideas and the ability of those ideas to create new innovations, products, companies, and jobs in the United States."

https://www.commerce.senate.gov/2022/7/view-the-chips-legislation

Read the bill's text:  https://www.commerce.senate.gov/services/files/CFC99CC6-CE84-4B1A-8BBF-8D2E84BD7965

EU Chips Act promises €43 billion in semiconductor investments

Wednesday, February 09, 2022  Europa  

The European Commission is calling for €43 billion euros of public and private investments to spur the design, manufacturing and packaging of advanced semiconductors in Europe.The EU Chips Act aims to bring about a thriving semiconductor sector from research to production and a resilient supply chain. The ambition is for the EU to double its current market share in semiconductors to 20% in 2030. Key elements of the proposal:The main components are:The...

READ MORE

Read More

SkyWater Tech plans a $1.8 billion semiconductor fab at Purdue

SkyWater Technology announced its plans to build a $1.8 billion U.S. semiconductor R&D and production facility in Indiana through a public-private partnership with the state and Purdue University

The partners will pursue funding through the CHIPS (Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors) for America Act.

“This endeavor to bolster our chip fabrication facilities will rely on funding from the CHIPS Act. Federal investment will enable SkyWater to more quickly expand our efforts to address the need for strategic reshoring of semiconductor manufacturing,” said Thomas Sonderman, SkyWater president and CEO. “Through our alliance with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and Purdue Research Foundation, we have a unique opportunity to increase domestic production, shore up our supply chains and lay the groundwork for manufacturing technologies that will support growing demand for microelectronics.”

“Today’s announcement marks a dramatic advance toward multiple strategic goals of Purdue’s last decade: enriched academic and career opportunities for our students; new research possibilities for our faculty; a transformed, more attractive environment on and adjacent to our campus; and the latest demonstration that Purdue and Greater Lafayette are now the hot new tech hub of a growing, diversifying Indiana economy,” said Purdue President Mitch Daniels. “Even for the place that specializes in them, this constitutes a genuine giant leap.”

https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2022/Q3/skywater-technology-chooses-discovery-park-district-at-purdue-for-1.8b-semiconductor-fabrication-facility,-to-create-750-jobs-in-5-years.html

Read More

Verizon lands $400M contract with FBI

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has awarded a $400 million Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) task order to Verizon Public Sector to help the agency meet increasing demands for data bandwidth around the globe.

Under the contract, Verizon will provide Ethernet access capabilities and a resilient global Virtual Private Network Services (VPNS) with a Verizon 4G LTE and 5G Nationwide cellular fixed wireless access arrangement, enabling the move to wireless connections provisioned on-demand for faster deployment at FBI locations, and support for high-speed connectivity for FBI agents working in the field.

Verizon’s EIS task order with the FBI includes 24/7 direct access to Verizon’s IT development team to address critical problems or discuss potential system enhancements, enabling the FBI to support a wide range of applications, such as cloud computing, video and imaging transmissions, and data applications that drive demand for dynamic bandwidth capacity.

“We understand the critical nature of the work we will do with the FBI to improve network availability, enhance operational efficiency, use tailored approaches to meet individual division needs, and help modernize technology,” said Maggie Hallbach, Senior Vice President, Public Sector at Verizon. “Building on nearly 20 years of partnership with the Bureau, this next phase will provide stable solutions and a modern network that is faster, more scalable and secure that will help the FBI achieve its mission.”

https://www.verizon.com/about/news/verizon-awarded-over-400m-modernization-contract-fbi

Read More

NCI wins $13.4M Navy contract for fiber network modernization

NCI Information Systems has been awarded a five-year $13.4 million prime contract from the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command Naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons Division. Under the Installation Fiber Optic Networking Support Services contract, NCI, with its partner IntelliBridge, will enable faster, more secure network connections for the Navy by delivering state-of-the-art engineering and implementation fiber optic networking support services.

Under the contract, NCI and IntelliBridge will transform system interoperability and integration for networks supporting NAWCWD and NAVAIR, enabling seamless and secure computer connectivity. The two organizations will provide E&I fiber optic networking support services such as state-of-the-art network designs, fiber builds, infrastructure mapping and networking solutions.

https://www.nciinc.com

Read More

U.S. offers $10 million reward for leaders of DarkSide Ransomware

The U.S. Department of State announced a reward of up to $10,000,000 for information leading to the identification or location of any individual(s) who hold(s) a key leadership position in the DarkSide ransomware variant transnational organized crime group. 

The DarkSide ransomware group was responsible for the Colonial Pipeline Company ransomware incident in May 2021, which led to the company's decision to proactively and temporarily shut down the 5,500-mile pipeline that carries 45 percent of the fuel used on the East Coast of the United States. 

In addition, the Department is also offering a reward offer of up to $5,000,000 for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction in any country of any individual conspiring to participate in or attempting to participate in a DarkSide variant ransomware incident.

https://www.state.gov/reward-offers-for-information-to-bring-darkside-ransomware-variant-co-conspirators-to-justice/

Read More

Biden signs order on Cybersecurity for Critical Infrastructure

President Biden signed a National Security Memorandum (NSM) on “Improving Cybersecurity for Critical Infrastructure Control Systems”. There are two key parts:

• Directs the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in collaboration with other agencies, to develop cybersecurity performance goals for critical infrastructure. We expect those standards will assist companies responsible for providing essential services like power, water, and transportation to strengthen their cybersecurity.
• Formally establishes the President’s Industrial Control System Cybersecurity (ICS) Initiative. The ICS initiative is a voluntary, collaborative effort between the federal government and the critical infrastructure community to facilitate the deployment of technology and systems that provide threat visibility, indicators, detections, and warnings. The Initiative began in mid-April with an Electricity Subsector pilot, and already over 150 electricity utilities representing almost 90 million residential customers are either deploying or have agreed to deploy control system cybersecurity technologies. The action plan for natural gas pipelines is underway, and additional initiatives for other sectors will follow later this year.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/07/28/fact-sheet-biden-administration-announces-further-actions-to-protect-u-s-critical-infrastructure/

Read More

U.S. State Department pushes Clean Network program

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reasserted his call for a Clean Network program aimed at thwarting aggressive cyber intrusions by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on public and private U.S. telecommunications and technology infrastructure. Specifically, Pompeo announced the following five new lines of effort in the Clean Network program:

• Clean Carrier: "To ensure untrusted People’s Republic of China (PRC) carriers are not connected with U.S. telecommunications networks. Such companies pose a danger to U.S. national security and should not provide international telecommunications services to and from the United States."
• Clean Store: "To remove untrusted applications from U.S. mobile app stores. PRC apps threaten our privacy, proliferate viruses, and spread propaganda and disinformation. American’s most sensitive personal and business information must be protected on their mobile phones from exploitation and theft for the CCP’s benefit."
• Clean Apps: "To prevent untrusted PRC smartphone manufacturers from pre-installing –or otherwise making available for download – trusted apps on their apps store. Huawei, an arm of the PRC surveillance state, is trading on the innovations and reputations of leading U.S. and foreign companies. These companies should remove their apps from Huawei’s app store to ensure they are not partnering with a human rights abuser."
• Clean Cloud: "To prevent U.S. citizens’ most sensitive personal information and our businesses’ most valuable intellectual property, including COVID-19 vaccine research, from being stored and processed on cloud-based systems accessible to our foreign adversaries through companies such as Alibaba, Baidu, and Tencent."
• Clean Cable: "To ensure the undersea cables connecting our country to the global internet are not subverted for intelligence gathering by the PRC at hyper scale. We will also work with foreign partners to ensure that undersea cables around the world aren’t similarly subject to compromise."

The U.S. State Department is also building a coalition of "5G Clean Countries and Carriers." The website currently lists the following.




https://www.state.gov/announcing-the-expansion-of-the-clean-network-to-safeguard-americas-assets/

https://www.state.gov/5g-clean-network/

Read More

Trump issues executive order to block Tencent's WeChat

President Trump issued an executive order to restrict transactions in the United States with Tencent Holdings Ltd., the Chinese company that owns WeChat.

The order, which takes effect in 45 days, bans any transaction with Tencent that is related to WeChat by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.

Trump said the order was necessary because WeChat automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users, allowing the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans’ personal and proprietary information, and even keeping tabs on Chinese citizens visiting the United States who may be enjoying the benefits of a free society for the first time in their lives.

Read More

U.S. Department of State to require 5G Clean Path

The U.S. Department of State will begin requiring a “clean path” for all 5G network traffic between U.S. diplomatic facilities and the United States. U.S. military facilities are also expected to participate in the 5G Clean Path initiative.

The goal is to ensure that all 5G data transiting U.S. diplomatic facilities only cross trusted network equipment.

Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo said the law must prevent Huawei and ZTE from having any equipment in the path of traffic along the 5G clean path.

https://www.state.gov/the-united-states-protects-national-security-and-the-integrity-of-5g-networks/

Read More

UK allows Huawei in 5G, defying U.S. pressure

The UK will permit Huawei to participate in the rollout of 5G and gigabit-capable networks with certain conditions. The decision defied pressure from the U.S. government to ban Huawei on security grounds.

The UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has recommended the "high risk vendors" should be:

• Excluded from all safety related and safety critical networks in Critical National Infrastructure
• Excluded from security critical ‘core’ functions, the sensitive part of the network
• Excluded from sensitive geographic locations, such as nuclear sites and military bases
• Limited to a minority presence of no more than 35 per cent in the periphery of the network, known as the access network, which connect devices and equipment to mobile phone masts

For its part, Huawei issued the following statement:

"Huawei is reassured by the UK government’s confirmation that we can continue working with our customers to keep the 5G roll-out on track. This evidence-based decision will result in a more advanced, more secure and more cost-effective telecoms infrastructure that is fit for the future. It gives the UK access to world-leading technology and ensures a competitive market.

"We have supplied cutting-edge technology to telecoms operators in the UK for more than 15 years. We will build on this strong track record, supporting our customers as they invest in their 5G networks, boosting economic growth and helping the UK continue to compete globally."

Read More

Senators propose $1 billion funding to bolster U.S. competitors in 5G

U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Mark Warner (D-VA), Richard Burr (R-NC), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Michael Bennet (D-CO), and John Cornyn (R-TX) are proposing a $1 billion government to bolster Western-based alternative to Huawei and ZTE.

The Utilizing Strategic Allied (USA) Telecommunications Act would "reassert U.S. and allied leadership by encouraging competition with Huawei. Specifically, the bill would:

• Require the FCC to direct at least $750 million, or up to 5 percent of annual auction proceeds, from new auctioned spectrum licenses to create an O-RAN R&D Fund to spur movement towards open-architecture, software-based wireless technologies, funding innovative, ‘leap-ahead’ technologies in the U.S. mobile broadband market. The fund would be managed by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), with input from the FCC, Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA), and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), among others;
• Create a $500 million Multilateral Telecommunications Security Fund, working with our foreign partners, available for 10 years to accelerate the adoption of trusted and secure equipment globally and to encourage multilateral participation, and require reports for Congress on use of proceeds and progress against goals to ensure ample oversight;
• Create a transition plan for the purchase of new equipment by carriers that will be forward-compatible with forthcoming O-RAN equipment so small and rural carriers are not left behind;
• Increase U.S. leadership in International Standards Setting Bodies (ISSBs) by encouraging greater U.S. participation in global and regional telecommunications standards forums and requiring the FCC write a report to Congress with specific recommendations;
• Expand market opportunities for suppliers and promote economies of scale for equipment and devices by encouraging the FCC to harmonize new commercial spectrum allocations with partners where possible, thus promoting greater alignment with allies and driving down the cost of Huawei alternatives. 

“We are at a critical point in history for defining the future of the U.S.-China relationship in the 21st century, and we cannot allow Chinese state-directed telecommunications companies to surpass American competitors,” Senator Rubio said. “It is not only in our national security interests to support American competition in the 5G market, but it is also in our economic interests to continue to build and support an economy that leverages American strengths and creates American jobs in the industries of the future without relying on malign Chinese state-directed actors like Huawei and ZTE.”

“Every month that the U.S. does nothing, Huawei stands poised to become the cheapest, fastest, most ubiquitous global provider of 5G, while U.S. and Western companies and workers lose out on market share and jobs. Widespread adoption of 5G technology has the potential to unleash sweeping effects for the future of internet-connected devices, individual data security, and national security. It is imperative that Congress address the complex security and competitiveness challenges that Chinese-directed telecommunication companies pose,” Warner said. “We need to move beyond observing the problem to providing alternatives for U.S. and foreign network operators.” 

https://www.rubio.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=80D299D0-F416-484F-B685-82FE1BAF3A89

Read More

FBI opens data center in Idaho

The FBI inaugurated a new data center at its campus in Pocatello, Idaho.

The new facility adds approximately 140,000 square feet of both data center and office space capacity.

The FBI said it is in the process of consolidating dozens of data centers across the country into fewer new facilities in order to improve efficiency and its cybersecurity posture.

https://www.fbi.gov/image-repository/data-hall-fbi-pocatello-facility-111819.jpg

Read More

BigBear cites rapid growth in government cloud services

BigBear, a privately-held company offering cloud-based big data analytics solutions for government and commercial customers, reports more than 220 percent revenue growth last year and is on track to gain another 50 percent boost to revenue by the end of this year.

The company has office locations in Charlottesville, Virginia, and San Diego, California, and is opening a new office in Reston, Virginia.

“We’re excited about our new office location in the Washington, D.C. area as well as the progress our work has made serving our nation’s most critical defense missions,” said Frank Porcelli, CEO of BigBear. “By having our senior technology experts and engineers located near our customers, it enables the kind of close collaboration that is required to provide the high-level mission-critical support we deliver. We look forward to continuing to bring the incredible cost savings and productivity-enhancing benefits of our platform and expert team to more customers throughout the defense and intelligence communities.”

http://bigbear.io

Read More

USDA funds 12 rural broaband projects -- $97M

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced plans to invest $97 million in 12 projects in 11 states: Arizona, Iowa, Idaho, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming. The funding is intended to improve rural broadband. The funding will be made available through the Telecommunications Infrastructure Loan Program and the Community Connect Grant Program.

Example projects include:

Chibardun Telephone Cooperative, Inc. in Cameron, Wis., is receiving a $21.4 million loan to improve outside plant facilities in four (Almena, Cameron, Dallas and Ridgeland) of its six exchanges. It will construct 675 miles of fiber-to-the-premises and install associated electronics. Chibardun serves Barron and Dunn counties. Approximately 2,700 subscribers will receive improved service as a result of this loan.

Osage Innovative Solutions, LLC in Tulsa, Okla., is receiving a $2.7 million grant to construct a hybrid fiber-to-the-premises and fixed wireless system in an unserved and economically depressed portion of the Osage Nation in Osage County. The company will offer speeds up to 100 megabits per second (Mbps) download and 10 Mbps upload to 139 households and 22 businesses.

The Northeast Missouri Rural Telephone Company, in Green City, is receiving a $13.7 million loan to convert six exchanges from copper plant to fiber-to-the-premises. It will construct nearly 500 route miles of fiber. Northeast Missouri expects to improve service to 1,063 subscribers.

Read More

ZTE appoints Angela Simpson to head US Gov Affairs

ZTE USA appointed Angela Simpson as vice president, US Government Affairs, where she will manage all of the company’s government relations and public policy matters in the United States.

Ms. Simpson was previously Deputy Assistant Secretary for the United States Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and Information Administration where she also held roles as Acting Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to the Office of the Assistant Secretary. Prior to coming to the Department of Commerce, Simpson was Director of Government Affairs for Covad Communications in Washington, D.C. where she was responsible for advocacy before the Federal Communications Commission and Congress.

https://www.zteusa.com/

ZTE to Plead Guilty and Pay $1.19 Billion to U.S. Government

Tuesday, March 07, 2017  Gov, Iran, ZTE  No Comments

In the case involving the shipment of U.S.-origin technology to Iran during the period of economic sanctions, ZTE Corporation agreed to enter a guilty plea and to pay a $430,488,798 penalty to the U.S. ZTE simultaneously reached settlement agreements with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). In total ZTE has agreed to pay the U.S....

READ MORE

Read More