Dell’Oro: Campus Switch Sales to Exceed $100B for 2023-2027

More than $100 billion will be spent on campus switches over the next five years, according to Dell’Oro Group, which is raising its outlook for the 2023 revenue growth while, at the same time, revising its forecast for 2024 to show a steeper decline than projected in its prior forecast.

“Given the sustained high level of backlog combined with the unexpectedly rapid improvement in supply, we have raised our revenue forecast for 2023 to show a high-single digit growth in this market. It is worth noting that this projection comes despite a tough comparison with 2022 during which the market experienced a robust double-digit growth,” said Sameh Boujelbene, Vice President at Dell’Oro Group. “As we head into 2024, however, the top-of-mind question is whether we should expect a correction in the market following two extraordinary years in sales performance and, if so, how steep that correction might be. We examined historical trends and interviewed various system vendors, Value-Added Resellers and System Integrators and are currently forecasting a high-single digit decline in the campus switch market in 2024.

“While challenges such as backlog normalization, capacity digestion, and spending optimization may temporarily impact market growth in 2024, we expect a fast recovery and long-term growth in the following years. This growth trajectory will be propelled by several tailwinds, including an accelerated pace of digital transformation, a greater portion of high-priced Power-Over-Ethernet (PoE) devices, and the need for faster network speeds,” added Boujelbene.

Additional highlights from the Ethernet Switch – Campus 5-Year July 2023 Forecast Report:

• 2.5/5.0 Gbps is expected to drive 15 percent of the campus switch sales by 2027.
• PoE ports are forecast to comprise more than half of the total campus switch port shipments by 2027.
• Despite some short-term headwinds, China is expected to gain three points of revenue share over our forecast period.
• The IT/OT convergence is expected to increase over our forecast horizon, but adoption may take time given the very long 10-30 year lifecycle of industrial networking equipment.
• The introduction of Artificial Intelligence capabilities will continue to play a key role in vendors’ competitive positioning in the market.

https://www.delloro.com/news/campus-switch-sales-to-exceed-100-b-between-2023-and-2027/

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Xcel Energy deploys Nokia private LTE

U.S.-based Xcel Energy will deploy a Nokia private LTE network to help modernize grid operations to better serve customers across the company’s eight-state service area. T

Nokia will design and integrate the network leveraging Xcel Energy’s choice of Anterix 900 MHz spectrum based on the Nokia Modular Private Wireless (MPW) solution combined with Nokia Operational Support Systems (OSS). The solution will leverage Xcel Energy’s existing high-performance Nokia IP/MPLS infrastructure.

The advanced grid will enable an enhanced user experience for Xcel Energy’s 3.7 million electricity customers in Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North and South Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin. Customers will have greater transparency and control over their energy use leveraging smart meters and online tools.

Nokia notes that it has now has deployed mission-critical networks to over 2,600 enterprise customers across industry sectors including energy utilities, ports, mines, manufacturers and logistics companies.

https://www.nokia.com/about-us/news/releases/2023/07/25/nokia-deploys-private-lte-for-xcel-energys-grid-modernization-in-the-united-states/

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ZEDEDA adds remote access services to its edge orchestration

ZEDEDA, which offers an edge orchestration solution, introduced a suite of Edge Application services providing remote access, inventory and configuration management, and Kubernetes management.

The first service in the suite, ZEDEDA Edge Access, enables IT administrators and platform operations teams to access any remote device from any location. It provides secure access, control and audit tracing for edge deployments.

ZEDEDA Edge Access offers access controls that provide full encryption of user sessions. It also provides granular user control and access, enabling customers to provide third parties secure access to their edge infrastructure. 

https://www.ZEDEDA.com

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Padtec joins Fiber Broadband Association

Padtec S.A. has joined the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA), an association that brings together operators and companies from several countries that operate in the telecommunications sector – specifically, in the optical fiber segment. The entity's objective is to promote the adoption and advancement of optical transmission technologies in Latin and North America, stimulating technological innovation, as well as new business models and applications.

“The FBA performs an important role in promoting fiber optics as the preferred technology for broadband infrastructure, with a view to improving connectivity around the world based on the advancement of communication networks”, assesses Carlos Raimar Schoeninger, Padtec’s CEO. “For us, networking is essential for fostering cooperation that results in technological advances. This is very much in line with our purpose of contributing to the evolution of the infrastructure of next generation communication networks in Brazil, in the Americas and in the world,” he adds.

https://www.padtec.com.br

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Cerebras builds Condor Galaxy AI supercomputer cluster

Cerebras Systems and G42, the UAE-based technology holding group, are building a network of nine interconnected supercomputers, offering a new approach to AI compute that promises to significantly reduce AI model training time. 

The first AI supercomputer on this network, Condor Galaxy 1 (CG-1), isocated in Santa Clara, California. CG-1 links 64 Cerebras CS-2 systems together into a single, system. It supports up to 600 billion parameter models and extendable configurations that support up to 100 trillion parameter models. With 54 million AI-optimized compute cores, 388 terabits per second of fabric bandwidth, and fed by 72,704 AMD EPYC processor cores, unlike any known GPU cluster, CG-1 delivers near-linear performance scaling from 1 to 64 CS-2 systems using simple data parallelism.

Cerebras and G42 offer CG-1 as a cloud service, allowing customers to enjoy the performance of an AI supercomputer without having to manage or distribute models over physical systems.

Cerebras and G42 are planning to deploy two more such supercomputers, CG-2 and CG-3, in the U.S. in early 2024. With a planned capacity of 36 exaFLOPs in total, this unprecedented supercomputing network will revolutionize the advancement of AI globally.

“Collaborating with Cerebras to rapidly deliver the world’s fastest AI training supercomputer and laying the foundation for interconnecting a constellation of these supercomputers across the world has been enormously exciting. This partnership brings together Cerebras’ extraordinary compute capabilities, together with G42’s multi-industry AI expertise. G42 and Cerebras’ shared vision is that Condor Galaxy will be used to address society’s most pressing challenges across healthcare, energy, climate action and more,” said Talal Alkaissi, CEO of G42 Cloud, a subsidiary of G42.

“Delivering 4 exaFLOPs of AI compute at FP 16, CG-1 dramatically reduces AI training timelines while eliminating the pain of distributed compute,” said Andrew Feldman, CEO of Cerebras Systems. “Many cloud companies have announced massive GPU clusters that cost billions of dollars to build, but that are extremely difficult to use. Distributing a single model over thousands of tiny GPUs takes months of time from dozens of people with rare expertise. CG-1 eliminates this challenge. Setting up a generative AI model takes minutes, not months and can be done by a single person. CG-1 is the first of three 4 exaFLOP AI supercomputers to be deployed across the U.S. Over the next year, together with G42, we plan to expand this deployment and stand up a staggering 36 exaFLOPs of efficient, purpose-built AI compute.”

https://www.cerebras.net/press-release/cerebras-and-g42-unveil-worlds-largest-supercomputer-for-ai-training-with-4-exaflops-to-fuel-a-new-era-of-innovation

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Worldcoin Foundation launches its digital ID and currency for AI era

The Worldcoin Foundation, a project co-founded by Sam Altman, Alex Blania and Max Novendstern, unveiled plans for a global digital ID, digital currency and financial network for the Age of AI.

The Worldcoin protocol calls for a decentralized identity and financial network that aims “to unlock and equitably distribute the potentially massive economic implications of AI.”

The Worldcoin Foundation plans to roll-out retina scanners called “orbs” in 35 major cities worldwide to enable World IDs providing access to its Worldcoin tokens.

The Worldcoin project recent completed the protocol’s migration to the OP Mainnet. In tandem, the Foundation’s subsidiary, World Assets Ltd., minted and released the Worldcoin token (WLD) to people who participated in the beta. WLD is now transactable on the blockchain.

Tools for Humanity (TFH), a technology company building on the Worldcoin network, also today introduced a new release of World App, the first protocol-compatible wallet.

“In the age of AI, the need for proof of personhood is no longer a topic of serious debate; instead, the critical question is whether or not the proof of personhood solutions we have can be privacy-first, decentralized and maximally inclusive,” said Worldcoin project co-founder and TFH CEO, Alex Blania, speaking from Berlin, Germany. “Through its unique technology, Worldcoin aims to provide anyone in the world, regardless of background, geography or income, access to the growing digital and global economy in a privacy preserving and decentralized way. These protocol-level aims align closely with ours for World App.”

https://worldcoin.org/cofounder-letter

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EUTELSAT 10B satellite enters service

Eutelsat Communications confirmed the entry into service of the multi-mission high-capacity EUTELSAT 10B satellite at the 10°East orbital position.

EUTELSAT 10B is carrying two multi-beam High-Throughput Satellite (HTS) Ku-band payloads: a payload covering the North Atlantic corridor, Europe, the Mediterranean basin, and the Middle East, offering significant throughput in the busiest air and sea traffic zones, and a second payload to extend coverage across the Atlantic Ocean, Africa, and the Indian Ocean.

EUTELSAT 10B is also carrying two widebeam payloads in C-band and in Ku-band to ensure continuity of the video services on the EUTELSAT 10A satellite, whose operational life is scheduled to end later this year. The 10° East location that EUTELSAT 10B occupies has been operated by Eutelsat since 1987.

Built by Thales Alenia Space, EUTELSAT 10B is an all-electric satellite based on the Spacebus NEO platform. It carries a 5th generation digital transparent processor, offering capacity allocation flexibility and an optimal spectrum use. The satellite’s HTS payloads will be able to process more than 50 GHz of bandwidth, offering a throughput of approximately 35 Gbps.

Cyril Dujardin, General Manager for the Connectivity Business Unit, said: "EUTELSAT 10B satellite will boost our global connectivity services with High Throughput capacity, to meet increasing in-flight and maritime demand. EUTELSAT 10B’s Ku-band payload complements the Ka-band of the EUTELSAT KONNECT VHTS satellite, that will enter into service progressively in Autumn, reflecting our ability to serve our customers in both Ka- and Ku-bands with the best-in-class space assets. Moreover, this satellite brings innovative new resources that will be able to complement Eutelsat’s GEO-LEO offering.”

www.eutelsat.com

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F5 posts revenue of $703 million, up 4%

F5 reported revenue of $703 million for its third fiscal quarter, up 4% from $674 million in fiscal year 2022. Global services revenue grew 8% from the year-ago period while product revenue grew 1%, reflecting 5% systems revenue growth and software revenue that was down 3% from the year-ago period.

GAAP net income for the third quarter of fiscal year 2023 was $89 million, or $1.48 per diluted share compared to $83 million, or $1.37 per diluted share, in the third quarter of fiscal year 2022. Non-GAAP net income for the third quarter of fiscal year 2023 was $194 million, or $3.21 per diluted share, compared to $155 million, or $2.57 per diluted share, in fiscal year 2022.

“In an environment that remains challenged by macroeconomic uncertainty, our team is executing well, delivering third-quarter revenue at the midpoint of our guidance range and earnings per share well above the high end of our guidance range,” said François Locoh-Donou, F5’s President and CEO. “We are seeing some early signs of demand stabilization as customers look to F5 to help them secure and optimize the applications and APIs that power their businesses.”

https://investors.f5.com/

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MEF appoints 2023-2024 Board of Directors

MEF announced the results of the 2023-2024 Board of Directors elections held at its Annual Members Meeting last week in Montreal,

MEF 2023-2024 Board of Directors

• Debika Bhattacharya, Chief Product Officer, Verizon Business
• Nan Chen, Head of The One Network, Ericsson
• Frederick Chui, Chief Commercial Officer, PCCW Global
• Andrew Dugan, Chief Technology Officer, Lumen
• Shawn Hakl, Vice President, 5G Strategy, Microsoft
• Aamir Hussain​, Chief Technology and Product Officer, Liberty Latin America​
• Daniele Mancuso, Senior Vice President Chief Product Management, Sparkle
• Franck Morales, Vice President, Evolution Platform, Orange Business Services
• Mike Troiano, Senior Vice President, Business Products, AT&T Business
• Bob Victor, Senior Vice President, Customer Solutions, Comcast Business
• Mirko Voltolini, Vice President, Innovation, Colt Technology Services

MEF Officers

• Nan Chen, President and CEO
• Andrew Dugan, Chairman
• Bob Victor, Treasurer
• Pascal Menezes, Chief Technology Officer, MEF
• Kevin Vachon, Chief Operating Officer, MEF
• Daniel Bar-Lev, Vice President, Strategic Programs, MEF

“We are fortunate to have assembled a world-class team of distinguished leaders on MEF’s Board of Directors,” said Nan Chen, President and CEO, MEF. “For more than 20 years, MEF has tackled shared business challenges through industry collaboration. Our new Board brings deep industry expertise, insights, and fresh perspectives that will propel innovation and strengthen MEF’s ability to drive network transformation and power the digital economy.”

https://www.mef.net

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Ekinops secures €100 million credit line

EKINOPS signed a new credit line with its banking partners for a total €100 million. The company said the funding will support its development and  in particular its external growth strategy.

This new financing was secured by the banking pool comprising Caisse Régionale de Crédit Agricole Mutuel des Cotes d'Armor (Agent, Arranger, Credit Coordinator), Banque Populaire Grand Ouest (Arranger and ESG Coordinator), BNP Paribas and KBC Bank.

Dmitri Pigoulevski, Ekinops’ Chief Financial Officer commented: "This new line of financing confirms Ekinops' determination to achieve one or more acquisitions, using non-dilutive financing methods. It will provide the Group with the necessary resources to effectively seize growth opportunities. We would like to thank our banking partners for their support and their trust in our strategy."

https://www.ekinops.com/news/corporate/ekinops-signs-up-for-a-100-million-credit-line-to-support-its-external-growth-strategy

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Amitié transatlantic cable enters service with 16 fiber pairs

Aqua Comms, Meta, Microsoft, and Vodafone announced the commissioning of the Amitié subsea cable system, a 6,783 km (4,215 miles) trans-Atlantic system connecting North America and Europe and boasting 16 fiber pairs and up to 400 Tbps capacity -- the highest to date.

The Amitié cable, which was built by Alcatel Submarine Networks, has landings in Lynn, Massachusetts; Widemouth Bay, England; and Le Porge, France. 

The design of the system brings all users additional connectivity options in the United States, the UK, and in France. Boston will have direct connection all the way to London and a new Carrier Neutral Data Center constructed in Bordeaux. This delivers improved reliability in terms of protected capacity on multiple diverse routes.

The system includes an innovative branching unit 860 km from France and 650 km from the UK. This device allows the owners to switch either individual optical wavelengths between different landings or the full fiber capacity via two different types of switching technologies.

Andy Hudson, Chief Network Officer, Aqua Comms, said: “Amitié, branded as AEC-3 on Aqua Comms’ network, adds a third high-capacity system to our transatlantic footprint offering enhanced diversity in both the US and Europe and delivering the latest technology to our customers.”

Gary Waterworth, Investment Manager, Meta said: “Amitié will increase telecommunications reliability, speed, and diversity of subsea cable routes between the continents helping to improve transmission capacity in North America and Europe. It’s a great example of tech and telecom companies collaborating to build digital infrastructure to benefit the countless people, businesses, and organizations who rely on global connectivity.”

Frank Rey, General Manager, Azure Networking at Microsoft said: “As public and private sectors deepen their reliance on cloud technologies for economic growth and service improvement, Amitié will advance both resiliency and capacity for customers using our cloud services.”

Fanan Henriques, Director, Vodafone Business International & EU-Cluster, said: “As a significant investor in submarine cables, Vodafone was able to bring its strong heritage and extensive expertise to the partnership. With transatlantic total bandwidth growth forecasted to increase six-fold over the next five years, it is essential that we keep our customers, partners and communities connected to vital services enabling the digital economy. The completion of the Amitié subsea cable will strengthen connectivity and add resilience between the U.S., France and the UK.”

https://aquacomms.com/latest-news/aqua-comms-meta-microsoft-and-vodafone-announce-completion-of-amitie-the-highest-capacity-transatlantic-subsea-cable-system-ever-deployed/

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Tech Update: Edge at the Extreme, Connectivity for the Tour de France

Wondering how edge computing is revolutionizing the world of sports?

In this video, Devin Yaung, SVP, Global Enterprise IoT from NTT explains:

• The importance of *edge computing* in sports events like the *Tour de France* , where real-time data processing is crucial for tracking riders' positions, speed, and other factors.
• The role of edge computing in creating a *digital twin* of the race, enhancing fan experience by providing accurate predictions and detailed race analytics.
• The challenges and solutions in ensuring *security and privacy* in edge computing, complying with local regulations, and coordinating with security agencies.

Want to be involved in our video series? Contact info@nextgeninfra.io

Check out latest reports: 

Enterprise edge and cloud networking: https://ngi.fyi/sdwansaseztna23yt 

Telco cloud and edge: https://ngi.fyi/telcocloudyt

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IEEE approves 802.11bb LiFi

 The IEEE released 802.11bb, a new standard paving the way for the adoption of LiFi technology and its interoperability with WiFi.

LiFi is a wireless technology that uses light rather than radio frequencies to transmit data.

The standard defines the physical layer specifications and system architectures for wireless communication using light waves.

The IEEE 802.11bb Task Group on Light Communications is focused on introducing necessary changes to the base IEEE 802.11 Stds to enable communications in the light medium - access to the approved Project Authorization Request (PAR) and the Criteria for Standards Development (CSD). The general scope for the TG is limited to:

• Uplink and downlink operations in 800 nm to 1,000 nm band,
• All modes of operation achieve minimum single-link throughput of 10 Mb/s as measured at the MAC data service access point (SAP),
• Interoperability among solid state light sources with different modulation bandwidths.

This amendment specifies changes to the IEEE 802.11 MAC that are limited to the following:

• Hybrid coordination function (HCF) channel access,
• Overlapping basic service set (OBSS) detection and coexistance,
• Existing power management modes of operation (excluding new modes),

The project will also address the security of the transition between the new LC PHY and the existing 802.11 PHYs as well as the security implications in supporting Fast Session Transfer.

"The release of the IEEE 802.11bb standard is a significant milestone for the LiFi market," said Harald Haas, CEO of pureLiFi. "This standard provides a global framework for the deployment of LiFi technology, which will help to accelerate its adoption and interoperability with other wireless technologies."

"The IEEE 802.11bb standard is a major step forward for LiFi," said Dr. Thomas Zwick, Head of the LiFi Research Group at Fraunhofer HHI. "This standard will enable the development of more efficient and interoperable LiFi systems, which will help to make LiFi a more attractive option for businesses and consumers."

pureLiFi, a pioneering company in the development of LiFi technology, has already developed the world's first standards-compliant devices including the recently released Light Antenna ONE.

Analogous to the antenna chain in a radio frequency (RF) system such as WiFi, Light Antenna ONE inherently enables 802.11bb compliance. It can be integrated with existing WiFi chipsets that ship in the billions annually. With Light Antenna ONE, LiFi simply appears to the system as if it were another band of WiFi.

"pureLiFi is delighted to see the release of the IEEE 802.11bb standard," said Alistair Banham, CEO of pureLiFi. "This is a significant moment for the LiFi industry, as it provides a clear framework for the deployment of LiFi technology on a global scale. We are proud to have played a leading role in its creation and to be ready with the world’s first standards-compliant devices. The existence of a global standard gives confidence to device manufacturers who will deploy LiFi at scale.”

“Fraunhofer HHI welcomes the new IEEE 802.11bb.”, says Dominic Schulz, lead of LiFi development at Fraunhofer HHI.“ LiFi offers high-speed mobile connectivity in areas with limited RF, like fixed wireless access, classrooms, medical, and industrial scenarios. It complements or serves as an alternative to WiFi and 5G. 802.11bb integrates easily with existing infrastructures. Operating in an exclusive optical spectrum ensures higher reliability and lower latency and jitter. Light's line-of-sight propagation enhances security by preventing wall penetration, reducing jamming and eavesdropping risks, and enabling centimetre-precision indoor navigation.”

https://www.ieee802.org/11/Reports/tgbb_update.htm

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Ericsson and O2 Telefónica showcase Cloud RAN 5G mmWave

 Ericsson and O2 Telefónica in Germany demonstrate Cloud RAN technology for delivering 5G.

The proof of concept (PoC), which was conducted at O2 Telefónica’s Wayra innovation hub in Munich, utilized a centralized control unit (CU) and mmWave frequency, delivering exceptional performance throughput and validating Cloud RAN for FWA, enterprise and industry-specific use cases.

The companies said the collaboration highlights the efficiency and performance of Ericsson's 5G Cloud RAN solution, enabling faster software capabilities, network automation, and innovation in operational processes.

Daniel Leimbach, Head of Customer Unit Western Europe at Ericsson, says: “The partnership between Ericsson and O2 Telefónica demonstrates our commitment to achieving significant breakthroughs on our path to build the networks of the future. It is a first for both companies in Europe and shows the potential of Cloud RAN for high performance use cases. It builds upon our work with the cloud-native 5G core we have deployed in O2 Telefónica Germany, enabling a full end-to-end cloud native network. We are very proud to be doing this together with O2  Telefónica.”

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Lightwave Logic appoints director

Lightwave Logic has appointed Laila Partridge to Lightwave Logic's Board of Directors.

Ms. Partridge currently serves as Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The HardTech Project, a new venture with a novel approach to early-stage hardware investing. Previously, she was Managing Director of the STANLEY + Techstars Accelerator where she directed a global effort for Stanley Black & Decker's Chief Technology Officer to identify and invest in innovative technologies for industrial applications with an emphasis on electrification, sustainability and advanced manufacturing. Prior to that, she began her technology career at Intel Capital, serving as a Director of Strategic Investments. Ms. Partridge began her career at Wells Fargo, where ultimately achieved the role of VP of Corporate Banking.

www.lightwavelogic.com

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Australia’s Powerlink deploys Ribbon

Powerlink, the electrical transmission grid operator in the Australian state of Queensland, has selected Ribbon to help modernize its statewide operational network. Part of Australia's National Electricity Market (NEM), Powerlink's network extends 1,700 km (1,055 miles), with 15,000 km (9,300 miles) of transmission lines.

Powerlink is utilizing Ribbon's NPT family of routers to build a robust and protected internal communications network, as well as Ribbon's  LightSoft. Network Management System (NMS), which provides multi-layer, end-to-end network management.

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Fiber Connect 2023 Showcase - August 20-23, 2023

Fiber Connect 2023, which will be held August 20-23, 2023, at the Gaylord Palms in Orlando, will host the following Proof-of-Concept demonstrations:

Digital 3D Georeferenced Fiber Network Roll-Out Management and Documentation - presented by DeepUp

• This PoC will showcase an augmented reality (AR) solution with which 3D documented subsurface fiber networks can be virtually recovered and digitally seen in 3D to assist fiber network planning.

Enhancing the Customer Experience and Streamlining Operations with Cloud-Based Provisioning, Billing, and Orchestration - presented by Ting Internet and Wavelo

• This PoC will demonstrate an approach to automate, orchestrate and synchronize disparate systems and processes to provision, install, bill, and manage customers more efficiently, ultimately resulting in higher customer satisfaction and lower operating costs.

Get Ready for The Next Generation of Applications by Deploying A Disruptive Broadband Architecture - presented by Ciena

• This PoC will show how service providers can rethink their network architectural approach, leveraging disaggregation and virtualization, to push network access closer to the user to deliver and scale capacity where needed.

Leveraging Fiber to Efficiently Capture Small Businesses in Your Markets - presented by Calix

• This PoC will show how Broadband Service Providers (BSP) can leverage their fiber access network, operations, and processes built around their consumer business to offer managed services purpose-built for small businesses.

Multi-Vendor Middle Mile Use Cases Enhancing PON Infrastructure via Infinera’s XR Optics Point-To-Multipoint, Automated by netFLEX® - presented by Infinera and LightRiver

• This PoC showcases a multi-vendor FTTX PON network implemented with a 400G DWDM Middle Mile point-to-multipoint solution from the router to the OLT

Enhancing Fiber Reach with Ultra-High Capacity mmW Radios at Network Edge – presented by Ceragon

• This PoC will show how to enhance fiber reach for operators, filling in where fiber may not reach…yet, allowing operators to better service customers with high-speed connectivity – even in problematic locations.

Superior Network Performance – Every Way You Slice It – presented by Nokia

• This PoC will show how operators can guarantee quality of service with complete granularity across the network from the IP core to a user appliance in the home. With this level of control, operators can use their fiber network for anything and generate new revenues with guaranteed performance for any service type.

“When fiber leads, the future follows. Our PoC Showcase is a great example of the capabilities that fiber can deliver and the markets that fiber will disrupt next,” said Gary Bolton, President and CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association. “These PoCs are an exciting representation of our members’ ability to redefine what is possible when fiber is the enabling infrastructure that allows any industry, business, or market to go further, faster.”

For more information about Fiber Connect 2023 and to register, visit fiberconnect.fiberbroadband.org

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Microsoft previews Azure Boost for offloading virtualized network functions

Microsoft began offering previous of Azure Boost, which offloads virtualization processes traditionally performed by the hypervisor and host OS onto purpose-built hardware and software, such as networking, storage, and host management. 

The idea is to separate hypervisor and host OS functions from the host infrastructure. Microsoft said Azure Boost will deliver greater network and storage performance at scale, improves security by adding another layer of logical isolation, and reduces the maintenance impact for future Azure software and hardware upgrades.

The preview of Azure Boost achieves 200 Gbps networking throughput and remote storage throughput up to 10 GBps and 400K IOPS.

The performance is enabled by a Microsoft Azure Network Adapter (MANA) that is powered by a custom system-on-chip (SoC).  The MANA runs a set of stable forward-compatible device drivers for Linux and Windows operating systems. MANA also supports Data Plane Development Kit (DPDK). In addition, the Azure Boost’s chip features hardware-based secure boot and attestation, while implementing a FIPS 140 certified kernel for its cryptography, providing federal government levels of security.

While the preview is new, Azure Boost has been providing benefits to millions of existing Azure VMs in production today, such as enabling the exceptional remote storage performance of the Ebsv5 VM series and networking throughput and latency improvements for the entire Ev5 and Dv5 VM series.  

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/azure-infrastructure-blog/introducing-microsoft-azure-boost-preview/ba-p/3876742

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650 Group: AI Networking Surges over 100% YoY

The Data Center AI Networking market is expected to grow to over $3 billion in 2023, according to a newly release report by 650 Group, which also reveals that sales of both Infiniband and Ethernet for AI networking applications achieved record levels in 1Q23.

The report indicates that the top two vendors are Arista and NVIDIA. White box switch presence in AI/ML data centers is not as high as the overall market penetration. In addition, the report highlights the difference between Infiniband and Ethernet in vendor shares and market forecasts.

Highlights for 1Q23 include:

• Arista and NVIDIA are the largest two vendors in this segment
• By 2027, nearly 1 in 5 Ethernet Switch ports sold into the data center will be related to AI/ML and accelerated computing.
• AI/ML will drive record levels of 800 Gbps ports and Optics during the first 18 months of adoption.
• Hyperscaler CAPEX for 2023 will remain robust for AI/ML projects as traditional deployments show weakness in 2023
• Customers continue to evaluate different networking topologies to address AI/ML networking requirements.

“The first half of 2023 has shown tremendous growth in vendor revenue related to AI/ML networking with 2H 2023 and 2024 set to surge as many customers’ proof of concepts move towards production networks,” said Alan Weckel, Founder and Technology Analyst at 650 Group. “AI/ML puts a tremendous amount of bandwidth performance requirements on the network, and AI/ML is one of the major growth drivers for Data Center switching over the next five years. With bandwidth in AI growing, the portion of Ethernet switching attached to AI/ML and accelerated computing will migrate from a niche today to a significant portion of the market by 2027. We are about to see record shipments in 800Gbps based switches and optics as soon as products can reach scale in production to address AI/ML.”

https://www.650group.com

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Nokia posts flat Q2 as mobile sales in N America decline, enterprise up

Nokia reported Q2 net sales of EUR 5.710 billion, flat yoy in constant currency, as gross margin declined to 38.8% due to regional mix in Mobile Networks, partly offset by a strong Network Infrastructure margin and catch-up net sales in Nokia Technologies.

Some highlights:

• Network Infrastructure business saw a 6% decline in net sales in constant currency as macro uncertainty impacted the business, particularly in IP Networks which declined 11%. 
• Fixed Networks also declined, driven by Fixed Wireless Access and some modest inventory management, nonetheless fiber demand remains robust. 
• Optical Networks saw continued strength with 16% growth. 
• Mobile Networks business continued to benefit from 5G deployments in India offsetting on-going weakness in North America, delivering 5% net sales growth in constant currency. 
• Cloud and Network Services achieved net sales growth of 2% in constant currency and delivered a 2.2% operating margin in the quarter.
• Nokia Technologies signed a new long-term patent license agreement with Apple.

Pekka Lundmark, Nokia CEO, writes: “Earlier in the year I highlighted that we were starting to see signs of macroeconomic challenges along with inventory digestion impacting customer spending and this has intensified through the second quarter. In the second half we expect these trends to continue to impact our business, meaning we now see second half net sales broadly similar to the first half in both Network Infrastructure and Mobile Networks with some sequential improvement visible into Q4.

“We have therefore reduced our net sales outlook for 2023 to EUR 23.2 billion to EUR 24.6 billion from the prior EUR 24.6 billion to EUR 26.2 billion. Proactive action by our business groups to manage cost is largely mitigating the impact to our operating margin and hence we only narrow the range to 11.5% to 13.0% from the prior 11.5% to 14.0%.

Looking beyond 2023, in Network Infrastructure we believe these impacts are mostly short-term in nature and that moving forward we see growth opportunities supported by the work we have been doing to diversify our customer base by growing in enterprise and webscale. In Mobile Networks there is still substantial need for operators to invest in 5G globally with only approximately 25% of the potential mid-band 5G base stations so far deployed outside China. We also remain focused on taking the necessary actions to improve our operating margin to double-digit. For the Group we remain committed to achieving at least 14% comparable operating margin longer-term.

Finally, given the strength of our balance sheet and EUR 3.7 billion net cash position I'm confident we have a firm foundation from which to navigate this period of uncertainty. I would like to thank all the Nokia employees for their hard work, cost focus and continued commitment.”

https://www.nokia.com/about-us/investors/results-reports/

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