Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Viavi to acquire Spirent, consolidating test & measurement companies

VIAVI Solutions agreed to acquire Spirent Communications, a global provider of automated test and assurance solutions for networks, cybersecurity, and positioning, for approximately £1,005 million or $1,277 million, based on the exchange rate on March 4, 2024.

In addition, Silver Lake is making a US$400 million long-term strategic investment in Viavi in connection with the acquisition. 

Viavi said it believes that acquiring Spirent will significantly enhance its offerings in test, measurement, and assurance solutions, especially for emerging technologies like 5G and 6G. This combination is expected to deliver integrated, high-performance solutions and expand the product and service range available to both new and existing customers. Ultimately, Viavi sees this merger as a strategic move to foster product innovation and generate long-term value.

“VIAVI is proud to help enable its global customers to pursue innovation across the wide range of industries it serves,” said Oleg Khaykin, President and CEO of VIAVI. “Combining our leading communications test and measurement and optical technologies and Spirent’s high-performance testing and assurance solutions is expected to deliver enhanced product solutions and applications, accelerate growth in new markets and strengthen innovation through expanded engineering and design capabilities. Further, we are uniting two teams with a shared passion for developing compelling and cutting-edge offerings for customers and a commitment to technological excellence. We are pleased to welcome a strategic, long-term investment from Silver Lake in connection with the Acquisition. Silver Lake has an outstanding track record of supporting leading technology companies through both organic growth investments and scale acquisitions.”

“Combining with VIAVI brings together a highly complementary product offering which can be marketed globally,” said Eric Updyke, Chief Executive Officer of Spirent. “It will enable Spirent to build on the strategic progress we have made to date, with a partner that has the scale and resources to capitalize on the long-term growth opportunities ahead. The combination of VIAVI and Spirent creates a stronger business that will be better able to compete, and we are confident in the opportunities this will bring for our stakeholders.”

https://www.viavisolutions.com/en-us/corporate/about-us

  • Spirent Communications, a British multinational telecommunications testing company, has a rich history dating back to its founding in 1936 as Goodliffe Electric Supplies. Over time, it evolved through various name changes, eventually adopting the name “Spirent” in 2000. The company’s headquarters are in Crawley, West Sussex, UK, while its operational headquarters are in San Jose, California, USA. Spirent is publicly listed on the London Stock Exchange and is part of the FTSE 250 Index. Under the leadership of Chairman Bill Thomas, CEO Eric Updyke, and CFO Paula Bell, Spirent specializes in automated test and assurance solutions for networks, cybersecurity, and positioning. Its product lines include lifecycle service assurance for 5G mobile networks and cellular devices, as well as network testing and security solutions. In 2022, Spirent reported revenue of $607.5 million, operating income of $129.5 million, and net income of $99.9 million . Over the years, major acquisitions by Spirent have included Consultronics, Netcom Systems, Adtech, Zarak Systems, Caw Networks, Hekimian, Telecom Analysis Systems, Global Simuation Systems, DLS, and Imperfect Networks.
  • Viavi Solutions, formerly part of JDS Uniphase Corporation, is an American network test, measurement, and assurance technology company based in Chandler, Arizona. It traces its origins to 1923, when Wandel & Goltermann began to manufacture test sets for communications.
  • In 2000, the world’s 2nd and 3rd largest T&M companies merged to form ACTERNA. In 2005, ACTERNA merged with JDS Uniphase to form JDSU.  The Agilent Network Solutions Division was later merged into the company, and in 2017, Viavi was spun out of JDSU. Additional acquisitions have included RPC Photonics, Cobham, 3Z Telecom, Expandium, Contest and others. 

Arista intros CloudVision Universal Network Observability software

Arista Networks introduced a network observability software offering merging network infrastructure performance and data from compute and server systems-of-record to deliver keen insights into application and workload performance across data center, campus, and wide area networks.

Arista’s CloudVision Universal Network Observability (CV UNO) system, which is offered as a premium feature license on Arista CloudVision, enables the automation of network, systems, and application/workload visibility, coupled with AI-driven proactive analysis and prescriptive recommendations, which significantly reduces human error, accelerates issue resolution for unforeseen events, and provides precise root cause analysis of network events and their impact on application delivery.

CV UNO consists of the following components:

  • CV UNO Sensor collects, normalizes, and curates flow/SNMP data from various sources like VMware vCenter, DANZ Monitoring Fabric, and third-party network devices and forwards them to NetDL.
  • CV UNO, enabled via a premium feature license, integrates into and enhances CloudVision’s operational and network telemetry capabilities by leveraging Machine Intelligence-based Analysis on data stored in NetDL to infer topology-aware correlations across events, changes, and anomalies, thereby accelerating root cause analysis and expediting issue resolution.
  • CV UNO Recorder Node (optional) adds packet capture, query, and packet replay capabilities to support intrusion detection, incident response, and forensic use cases.
  • CV UNO Service Node (optional) enables advanced packet processing functions, like end-to-end application latency analysis and DPI-based Application Identification and classification.
  • CV UNO Analytics Node (optional) enables distributed context-aware traffic analysis and machine learning capabilities for large-scale optimization.

https://www.arista.com 

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Keysight and AMD stress test Mobile and Private 5G networks

 Keysight leveraged 4th generation AMD EPYC CPUs to to develop an industry first benchmarking methodology that redefines the landscape of system performance evaluation for high-speed digital designers, network equipment manufacturers, and data center operators. 

The solution tests mobile and 5G private network performance with millions of concurrent devices establishing simultaneous voice, video, and web sessions in real-world scenarios, such as smart manufacturing and smart energy grids that must connect millions of low-latency, high-bandwidth devices.

The companies say their integrated test case methodology takes into account the processing power of CPUs enabling data center operators to extract more performance from a chosen CPU and to characterize the performance across multiple vectors while adhering to bandwidth requirements.

  • Infrastructure scalability – In settings such as smart grids and smart manufacturing, smooth and reliable operation requires handling millions of concurrent devices. Traditional benchmarks frequently overlook the CPU's capacity and its capability to handle a considerably higher concurrent load as the network’s bandwidth constraints obscure this ability. This new benchmarking approach is designed to uncover the true CPU power and scalability in these environments.
  • Real-life authenticity – Mobile and 5G private networks support specialized fields like vision-based smart manufacturing, extended reality (XR) viewership, and retail workflows. Testing infrastructure for its capability to handle realistic application, voice, and video traffic is crucial. The new benchmark emphasizes replicating bulk activities with millions of devices establishing new sessions and including highly realistic scenarios like subscribers initiating voice, video, and web calls. 

Raghu Nambiar, Corporate Vice President, Data Center Ecosystems and Solutions, AMD, said: “5G mobile network operators worldwide are facing an unprecedented demand for bandwidth. This consistent growth of data traffic volume requires scalable and effective benchmarking solutions to accurately measure user experience. Our collaboration with Keysight demonstrates the ability of AMD EPYC CPUs to deliver impressive parallel processing performance to handle these high volumes of data traffic."

 

Verizon Business intros 5G-Wi-Fi 7 Internet gateway

Verizon Business tintroduced two new next-generation business devices, including the Verizon Business Internet Gateway -- its first Wi-Fi 7-compatible business internet gateway device for fixed wireless access (FWA) for C-Band -- as well as the tri-band 5G Business Receiver supporting 5G mmWave, C-Band, and 4G LTE. 

The new gateway’s Wi-Fi 7 compatibility incorporates the advantages of the latest wireless standard, including more bandwidth, accelerated connectivity, greater reliability, responsiveness that approaches wired connectivity, and robust security and privacy.

In addition to Wi-Fi 7 compatibility, the Business Internet Gateway will offer support for private networks, NSA and SA, network slicing and more. Other features include the following:

  • DL 4x4 MIMO for all LTE & NR Bands
  • 4 Carrier Aggregation Supported on NR Bands to support higher DL throughput
  • 4 SMA Ports for External Antennas
  • 2.5Gbps WAN Port
  • Accessories ecosystem including battery backup, wall mount and external antenna mounting hardware

“Verizon Business Internet Gateway’s Wi-Fi 7 compatibility is a major development for the industry, but this device’s broader strength is its ability to provide faster, more stable service for our business customers,” said Vijay Paulrajan,Vice President, Devices and Device Services, Verizon Business. “We designed the router with external antenna support for added flexibility in challenging signal locations in buildings. In addition there is a robust accessory ecosystem including a battery backup for power outage situations.”


https://www.verizon.com/about/news/verizon-business-unveils-next-generation-internet-gateway-and-receiver

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Vantage secures funding for data center project in Taiwan

Vantage Data Centers secured a US$64 million (approximately NT$2 billion) loan from CTBC Bank and Cathay United Bank to fund the development of the company’s first data center in Taipei, Taiwan (TPE11). 

The Taiwan campus, which was first announced last December, is the eighth developing or operational campus in Vantage’s APAC portfolio. Currently under development and expected to open mid-2024, TPE11 will deliver 16MW of IT capacity across a 215,000 square foot (20,000 square meters) facility. Once completed, the campus will serve hyperscalers, cloud providers and large enterprises as the region becomes a major digital infrastructure hub.

“Vantage is proud to lead the way in marking the first financing of a greenfield data center project in Taiwan,” said Joel Cheah, Vantage’s CFO in the Asia-Pacific region. “We appreciate CTBC Bank’s continued confidence in Vantage’s data center platform and are pleased to have the Cathay United Bank team join us in this innovative financial milestone in the next phase of Taiwan’s growth as a regional data center market.” 


Dell'Oro: Network Security SaaS and Virtual Solutions Soar

The network security market in 2023 witnessed a pivotal shift with revenues reaching $22.5 billion, according to a new report from Dell'Oro Group. 

2023 marked a deceleration to a single-digit growth rate, significantly influenced by the declining fortunes of hardware-based solutions, which saw a 1 percent decrease. In stark contrast, the SaaS and virtual network security segments emerged as the industry’s new powerhouses, surging by 26 percent to $9.6 billion. 

Nearly $5 billion  was due to the meteoric 30 percent rise in the SSE market, fueled by the widespread adoption of remote work and cloud applications necessitating SSE’s SaaS-based approach. The divergence between hardware, SaaS, and virtual solutions underscores a broader industry trend towards more agile, cloud-centric security solutions as enterprises seek to navigate the complexities of modern cyber threats and the evolving demands of a digital-first business landscape.

“In a year marked by economic recalibration and strategic introspection within the network security domain, the industry’s gravitation towards SaaS and virtual solutions has been nothing short of revolutionary,” said Mauricio Sanchez, Sr. Director, Enterprise Security and Networking at Dell’Oro Group. “2023’s tempered growth rate, juxtaposed with the explosive rise in demand for adaptable, cloud-centric security measures, paints a vivid picture of an industry at a crossroads, eagerly charting its course towards a more resilient, agile future.”

Additional highlights from the 4Q 2023 Network Security Quarterly Report:

  • The firewall market grew by low single digits in 2023 to nearly $13 B, highlighting its enduring relevance in enterprise defense strategies.
  • The WAF (Web Application Firewall) market displayed remarkable resilience, recording a low double-digit increase, predominantly by the adoption of SaaS-based solutions.
  • A pronounced shift in market dynamics saw North America and EMEA experiencing subdued single-digit revenue growth in 2023, largely attributed to hardware digestion and broader economic uncertainties.
  • Palo Alto Networks and Zscaler emerged as notable 2023 victors in this evolving landscape, with Palo Alto Networks expanding its number-one firewall revenue share to over 25 percent and Zscaler capturing an unprecedented 30 percent of the SSE market to maintain its number-one spot decisively.

https://www.delloro.com/news/network-security-saas-and-virtual-solutions-soar-while-hardware-falls/

Monday, March 4, 2024

AWS acquires 960-MW data center center next to nuclear plant

Amazon Web Services will acquire a major data center campus from Talen Energy Corporation that is located next to Talen’s nuclear power plant in northeast Pennsylvania.

The deal is valued at $650 million.

The 1,200-acre data center campus will have access to 960-megawatts of clean, carbon-free, nuclear power.

"We are pleased today to have sold our Cumulus data center campus, unlocking significant value for Talen," said Talen President and Chief Executive Officer Mac McFarland. "This transaction provides an attractive return on Talen's investment and vision in building Cumulus, and creates value through the sale of clean carbon-free power from our top-decile Susquehanna nuclear plant."  

https://talenenergy.investorroom.com/2024-03-04-Talen-Energy-Announces-Sale-of-Zero-Carbon-Data-Center-Campus

Nokia Bell Labs: From the Origins of AI to Automated Networking

Bell Labs conducted pioneering work in Convolutional Neural Networks, a class of deep neural networks that are particularly powerful for processing data with a grid-like topology, such as images.  This foundational work on CNNs can be traced back to the 1980s and early 1990s, with one of the key figures being Yann LeCun. 

Bell Labs is also recognized for its pioneering work in networking, beginning with Claude Shannon, also known as the "father of information theory," who published "A Mathematical Theory of Communication" while at Bell Labs.

In this short video, Thierry E. Klein, President of Solutions Research from Nokia, highlights:

- The role of AI in the entire lifecycle of a network, from its design to deployment, operation, improvement, and maintenance. He discusses how AI can be used for predictive maintenance to anticipate equipment failures and ensure uninterrupted traffic.

- The application of AI in industrial automation, data analytics, and robotics. He also explores the potential of running sophisticated AI algorithms on end devices, such as wearable tech, despite their compute and battery limitations.

- The development of specific language models for enterprise use. He shares about Nokia's language model, trained on 20,000 Nokia documents, which performs exceptionally well in a specific context and can be augmented with customer-specific information. 


https://youtu.be/Zp4sMUf0Cy8

Like our videos? Want to participate? Contact info@nextgeninfra.io

Check out complete MWC Barcelona 2024 Showcase at: https://ngi.fyi/mwc24yt


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Dell'Oro: Cloud SP spending dips on Ethernet data center switches

Spending from Cloud Service Providers (SPs) on Ethernet data center switches declined for the first time in three years, according to a new report from Dell'Oro Group. Additionally, of particular significance this quarter, Arista achieved a milestone by securing the top revenue position in the Ethernet data center switch market for the first time ever, closely rivaling Cisco.

“In line with our expectations, Ethernet data center switch sales continued to decelerate in 4Q 2023, showing anemic growth at a very low single-digit rate,” said Sameh Boujelbene, Vice President at Dell’Oro Group. “The deceleration in revenue growth was primarily attributed to the Cloud segment, marking its first decline since 4Q 2020. We attribute this decline to the ongoing digestion cycle at certain large Cloud SPs as well as a shift in focus to AI infrastructure buildouts where InfiniBand still dominates at certain hyperscalers. Arista recorded the highest revenue share gain during the quarter, claiming the leading revenue position for the first time ever,” added Boujelbene.

Additional highlights from the 4Q 2023 Ethernet Switch – Data Center Report:

  • Revenue growth exhibited a mixed pattern across regions. North America and APAC outside of China experienced a downturn, largely attributed to challenging year-over-year comparisons, indicating the onset of a digestion cycle in these regions. Conversely, EMEA maintained growth, albeit with a notable deceleration compared to the preceding three quarters. China saw a surge in revenue following four consecutive quarters of sluggish growth.
  • Shipments of 200 Gbps, 400 Gbps, and 800 Gbps switches constituted just over 20 percent of total port shipments in 2023. We expect 400 Gbps and 800 Gbps adoption to accelerate in 2024 and 2025, as some of the AI workloads will start favoring Ethernet. We discuss the potential future adoption of Ethernet in AI infrastructure in our recently published “AI Network for AI workload” report.

 https://www.delloro.com/news/cloud-service-provider-spending-on-ethernet-data-center-switches-declined-for-the-first-time-in-three-years/

NTT and Red Hat Fuel AI Analysis at the Edge

NTT and Red Hat have demonstrated a real-time, AI-powered data analysis platform that significantly reduces latency and power consumption while enabling scaling that overcomes processing bottlenecks. The data center platform, developed in collaboration with NVIDIA and Fujitsu, is built on NTT’s All-Photonics Network (a component of the Innovative Optical and Wireless Network, IOWN, initiative), NTT’s IOWN Data Centric Infrastructure (DCI) and Red Hat’s OpenShift software.

IOWN Solution Components:

  • Utilizes the IOWN All-Photonics Network (APN) and data pipeline acceleration technologies.
  • Part of the IOWN Data-Centric Infrastructure (DCI).

Accelerated Data Pipeline for AI:

  • Adopts Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) over APN for efficient data collection and processing at the edge.
  • Employs Red Hat OpenShift for container orchestration, enhancing workload flexibility across distributed data centers.

Benefits:

  • Demonstrated reduction in power consumption.
  • Maintains lower latency for real-time AI analysis at the edge.

Proof of Concept (PoC) Details:

  • Real-time AI analysis platform tested with Yokosuka City (sensor location) and Musashino City (remote data center), both connected via APN.
  • Achieved a 60% reduction in latency for aggregating sensor data for AI analysis compared to traditional methods.
  • Reduced power consumption by 40% per camera at the edge for AI analysis, compared to conventional technology.
  • Allows GPU scaling to support more cameras without CPU limitations.

Trial Calculation Results:

  • With 1,000 cameras, potential for a further 60% reduction in power consumption.

This PoC uses NVIDIA A100 Tensor Core GPUs and NVIDIA ConnectX-6 NICs for AI inference.

This solution helps set the stage for intelligent AI-enabled technologies that will help businesses sustainably scale. With this solution, organizations can benefit from:

  • Reduced overhead associated with collecting large amounts of data;
  • Enhanced data collection that can be shared between metropolitan areas and remote data centers for quicker AI analysis;
  • The ability to utilize locally available and potentially renewable energy, such as solar or wind;
  • Increased area management security with video cameras acting as sensor devices.

"Over the last few years, we've worked as part of IOWN Global Forum to set the stage for AI innovation powered by open source and deliver technologies that help us make smarter choices for the future. This is important and exciting work, and these results help prove that we can build AI-enabled solutions that are sustainable and innovative for businesses across the globe. With Red Hat OpenShift, we can help NTT provide large-scale AI data analysis in real time and without limitations," stated Chris Wright, chief technology officers and senior vice president of Global Engineering at Red Hat and board director of IOWN Global Forum.

"The NTT Group, in great collaboration with partners, is accelerating the development of IOWN to achieve a sustainable society. This IOWN PoC is an important step forward toward green computing for AI, which supports collective intelligence of AI. We are further improving IOWN's power efficiency by applying Photonics-Electronics Convergence technologies to a computing infrastructure. We aim to embody the sustainable future of net zero emissions with IOWN," Katsuhiko Kawazoe, senior executive vice president of NTT and chairman of IOWN Global Forum.


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Orange Business: GenAI Needs Cloud, Connectivity & Cybersecurity

Check out complete MWC Barcelona 2024 Showcase at: https://ngi.fyi/mwc24yt

How is Orange Business leveraging GenAI in its operations and for the benefit of global enterprise customers? Usman Javaid, Chief Products & Marketing Officer from Orange Business, explains:

- The importance of having the right digital infrastructure: Many businesses are not ready for GenAI because they lack the necessary digital infrastructure. This includes having data in the right place, a flexible and adaptable network, and the correct security parameters and data compliance.

- The role of the 3Cs - Cloud, Connectivity, and Cybersecurity: These three elements combine to create a scalable digital infrastructure that is essential for GenAI implementation.

- The potential of GenAI for new use cases: Orange Business is helping customers identify new use cases for Gen, such as integrating Gen capability into contact center solutions for better real-time support, and using GenAI for internal network planning to reduce planning time.

Remember, without the right digital infrastructure, GenAI implementation is impossible. 


https://youtu.be/SO-W_uMXj2M

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MWC Barcelona 2024 attendance topped 101,000

Attendance at last week's MWC Barcelona 2024 topped 101,000 according to GSMA, the event organizer.

John Hoffman, CEO, GSMA Ltd. said, “MWC Barcelona embodies the energy and vibrancy of the mobile ecosystem. We are honoured to host this special event which once again has delivered an exceptional four days of debate, thought leadership, inspiration and deal making. Our thanks to all who came to this year’s show; and special thanks to the Host City Parties. Barcelona has delivered again!”  

Highlights

  • Over 59% of attendees representing industries adjacent to the core mobile ecosystem 
  • Over 2,700 exhibitors, sponsors and partners 
  • Over 1,100 speakers and thought leaders, including over 40% female speakers 
  • 51% of attendees at director level and above, of which 21% were C-Suite  
  • 26% female attendees  
  • Over 2,600 journalists and industry analysts from around the world  
  • The GSMA Ministerial Programme convened over 180 delegations from 140 countries, including 2 heads of state, over 70 ministers, nearly 120 heads of regulatory authorities and over 40 intergovernmental organisations  

MWC Barcelona 2025 returns to the Fira between 3-6 March 2025.  

FCC warns Affordable Connectivity Program ends in April

The FCC formally notified Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) providers that, due to a lack of additional funding from Congress, the agency will only be able to fully fund the program through the month of April.  

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel urged immediate action before the program runs out of funds and participating households no longer receive the full ACP benefit.  

In a public letter to Congressional leaders, Rosenworcel also highlighted the immediate impact that the ACP enrollment freeze has had on households wishing to enroll in the program but are now unable to do so.  Over the past three years, Rosenworcel has been traveling the country, meeting with ACP recipients and digital navigators to understand first-hand how the program is making a difference.

“Many of these households have contacted the Commission to express their disappointment and frustration that they can no longer sign up for the program.  Others have contacted the agency to express concern about the impending end of the program, noting its impact on older adults, families with school children, and military families at risk of losing their internet service without the ACP benefit,” said Chairwoman Rosenworcel in her letter to Congress.  “They worry that without ACP support they will lose access to employment, education, health care, and more.”

https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-issues-formal-notice-april-final-full-month-acp-program

Sunday, March 3, 2024

Intel restores Altera as a standalone FPGA company

Eight years after acquiring Altera, a provider of field-programmable gate array (FPGA) technology for approximately $16.7 billion, Intel announced plans to relaunch Altera as a standalone FPGA company. Since the acquisition in late 2015, the former Altera has operated as Intel's Programmable Solutions Group (PSG).

Sandra Rivera will serve as the new Altera's CEO and Shannon Poulin will be Chief Operating Officer. 

In addition, Altera announced the following new products and services:

  • Agilex 9 is now in volume production. It offers the industry's fastest data converters, which are ideal for radar and military-aerospace applications that require high-bandwidth mixed-signal FPGAs.
  • Agilex 7 F-series and I-series devices are released to production. With 2x better fabric performance per watt versus competing FPGAs, they are tailored toward high-bandwidth compute applications like data center, networking and defense.
  • Agilex 5 is now broadly available. It delivers the only FPGA fabric infused with AI, best-in-class performance and 1.6x better performance per watt versus competing products. It is geared toward embedded and edge applications.
  • Coming soon: Agilex 3. It will bring a leading value, low-power line of FPGAs to low-complexity functions for cloud, communications and intelligent edge applications.

“As customers deal with increasingly complex technological challenges and work to differentiate themselves from their competitors and accelerate time to value, we have an opportunity to reinvigorate the FPGA market. We’re leading with a bold, agile and customer-obsessed approach to deliver programmable solutions and accessible AI across a broad range of applications in the  comms, cloud, data center, embedded, industrial, automotive and mil-aero market segments,” stated Sandra Rivera, chief executive officer of Altera.

In the AI domain, Altera is addressing those opportunities with FPGA AI Suite and OpenVINO, which generate optimized intellectual property (IP) based on standard frameworks like TensorFlow and Pytorch.

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/newsroom/news/intel-launches-altera-standalone-fpga-operation.html#gs.5wng0q

Synopsys launches 1.6T Ethernet IP for data center chips

Synopsys introduced a 1.6T Ethernet IP solution to help companies build the fastest silicon for AI and data center applications.

Highlights:

  • The Synopsys IP solution includes 1.6T MAC and PCS Ethernet controllers, 224G Ethernet PHY IP, and verification IP, aimed at reducing time to market for AI and HPC networking chips.
  • The 1.6T Ethernet IP solution is designed to improve energy efficiency in hyperscale data centers, potentially cutting interconnect power consumption by up to 50% compared to current SoC implementations.
  • Synopsys' new 1.6T Ethernet MAC and PCS Controllers feature a multi-channel, multi-rate design that can reduce area usage by 50% and lower latency by 40%, thanks to a patented Reed-Solomon Forward Error Correction architecture. This ensures reliable data transmission across Ethernet rates from 10G to 1.6T.
  • The 224G Ethernet PHY IP is silicon-proven to provide strong link performance, excellent signal integrity, and seamless interoperability across various channel lengths.
  • Synopsys introduces the industry's first Ethernet verification IP capable of supporting speeds up to 1.6T, utilizing native SystemVerilog and Universal Verification Methodology to accelerate the time to first test.

“The massive compute demands of hyperscale data centers require significantly faster Ethernet speeds to enable emerging AI workloads,” said John Koeter, senior vice president of marketing and strategy for IP, Synopsys. “Our complete IP solution for 1.6T Ethernet, pre-verified subsystems, successful ecosystem interoperability, and decades of expertise in developing and delivering the industry’s broadest interface IP portfolio allow designers to confidently integrate the necessary functionality into their SoCs with less risk.”

https://news.synopsys.com/2024-02-29-Synopsys-Launches-Industrys-First-Complete-1-6T-Ethernet-IP-Solution-to-Meet-High-Bandwidth-Needs-of-AI-and-Hyperscale-Data-Center-Chips#close

#MWC24: Marvell on Implementing AI Directly on the RAN

New possibilities are emerging now that Marvell is open sourcing software for building machine learning models that can be executed on OCTEON 10 processors, which are widely deployed in base stations around the world.

Joel Brand, SR Director of Product Marketing from Marvell, explains:

- Marvell's Octeon product line, used by industry giants like Nokia and Samsung, has embedded an AI accelerator, or NPU, to leverage machine learning and AI in the Radio Access Network.

- The unique implementation of this NPU is exposed through MLDEV, part of the Linux Foundation's Data Plane Development Kit (DPDK) , into the broader development community via the Apache TVM project, which is an open-source machine learning (ML) compiler framework for accelerating the deployment of deep learning models on various hardware platforms. 

- This innovation allows the use of standard open-source tools to configure and innovate directly on the Radio Access Network, potentially driving incremental revenue in the Telco environment.


https://youtu.be/sXQJJuNP2WQ

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#MWC24: HPE on Telco Core Automation with AI

 AI holds the potential to vast improve the operations of a 5G network and speed up time to market with new services. Andrew Border, VP Product Management, Telco Solutions from Hewlett Packard Enterprise explains:

- How HPE's product, Telco Core Automation, leverages AI to address multicloud, multivendor, multi-domain public 5G Network build-outs. It integrates separate silos of orchestration and assurance, automating them and simplifying operations.

- The challenges that Telcos face when moving to the cloud in a multivendor environment, and how AI can help overcome these by eliminating the need for operators to check alarms across disparate systems.

- The power of AI in driving both orchestration and assurance, enabling service providers to bring up new services in just 10-20 minutes, as opposed to 4 days. This is achieved through a closed-loop solution that uses AI to automatically give the operator the choice to bring up a network virtualized function on an entirely new server and infrastructure.


https://youtu.be/DLssrLY_avk

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#MWC24: Dell on Standardizing the Telco Cloud Stack

Check out our complete MWC Barcelona 2024 Showcase at: https://ngi.fyi/mwc24yt

Cloud transformation is rapidly reshaping mobile infrastructure. What steps can Communications Service Providers take to optimize their networks? 

Sandro Tavares, Director of Telecom Systems Marketing from Dell, provides insightful answers:

- He emphasizes the critical role of standardization in the network's transformation, highlighting the industry's evolution towards the application of cloud principles in the network.

- Tavares discusses the current industry mindset of operating in silos, and how this approach limits the full realization of the benefits that cloud technology can offer. He advocates for a shift towards sharing resources across functions for better cloud economics and flexibility.

- Lastly, he underscores the need for changes in processes, operations models, and industry mindset to truly transform the architecture of telecommunications providers. This transformation, he argues, will not only lower costs but also generate new revenue opportunities by operating at cloud speed.


https://youtu.be/WHc-InpO-K8

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#MWC24: Console Connect on AI's Massive Impact on Carrier Networks

Is AI already having a big impact on carrier networks and traffic volume? Paul Gampe, CTO from Console Connect, discusses his company's perspective:

- The increasing demand for data migration in carrier networks, illustrated by a customer's need to move 5 petabytes of data from Amazon to Google.

- The role of AI in driving the need for large-scale data migration and data repatriation.

- How Console Connect's product, Cloud Router, directly connects one hyperscaler to another, simplifying the complex problem of moving large amounts of data.


https://youtu.be/tXE0Oz3Xpk4

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#MWC24: NTT on AI & Data Analytics for Optimized Networks

Wondering how AI and data analytics can revolutionize your business operations? Bennett Indart, VP of Smart World Solutions from NTT, explains:

- How data analytics can optimize transit networks: Bennett discusses the creation of a digital twin of an entire transit system using data. This allows for AI-assisted planning and proactive changes, transforming static systems into dynamic ones.

- The role of AI in sports: Using the example of Indy car races, Bennett explains how AI interprets and utilizes data from the cars to manage the race, creating interesting narratives and outcomes.

- The future of business with AI: Bennett predicts that AI will completely revolutionize the way business is conducted, offering a glimpse into the future of AI in business operations.


https://youtu.be/qRHX3Aij7Ms

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