KIOXIA unveils 30TB data center SSDs

KIOXIA introduced a new line of data center-class solid state drives (SSDs)  boasting capacities up to 30.72 terabytes  (TB) and in both Enterprise and Data Center Standard Form Factor (EDSFF) E3.S and 2.5-inch (U.2) form factors.

Key specs:

• Random readii performance up to 2,000K IOPS and random writeii performance up to 400K IOPS
• Low and consistent 99.999th percentile latency of under 250us in standard random read workloadsiii, and under 1.8ms in standard OLTP-style mixed workloadsiv

The new 5th generation data center drives are based on the KIOXIA BiCS FLASH 3D flash memory triple-level cell (TLC) technology, and utilize an in-house developed controller. KIOXIA CD8P Series SSDs are compliant with PCIe 5.0 and NVMe 2.0 specifications as well as the NVMe Management Interface (NVMe-MI) v1.1d, and support Open Compute Project (OCP) Datacenter NVMe SSDv specification (not all requirements).

“We are proud to introduce our latest data center PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD, for general-purpose server and cloud applications,” said Neville Ichhaporia, senior vice president and general manager of the SSD business unit, KIOXIA America, Inc. “The CD8P Series is ready for next-gen PCIe 5.0 servers, delivering a great combination of high performance with low latency in both E3.S and 2.5-inch form factors.”

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Edmund Optics opens laser optics factory in Florida

Edmund Optics, which specializes in laser optics coatings, components, and assemblies optimized for high-power laser systems, inaugurated a state-of-the-art 34,000 sq. ft. Laser Optics Center in Oldsmar, Florida.

The new facility is dedicated to manufacturing a wide variety of optical components with high laser damage thresholds from the UV to the far IR. In addition, this facility expands Edmund Optics’ laser optics manufacturing capabilities across laser crystal and glass fabrication, polishing, metrology, inspection, and testing, and is home to approximately 50 employees.

"We are excited to significantly enhance our laser optics manufacturing capabilities and capacity with the new Florida facility," says Marisa Edmund, Chairman and Chief Marketing & Sales Officer for Edmund Optics. "With over 30+ years of regional presence and global design, manufacturing, and applications expertise, we are well-equipped to respond to customer demand for increasingly high-quality laser optics.”

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Tareq Amin steps down from Rakuten Mobile

Tareq Amin has stepped down as Rakuten Mobile Representative Director and Co-CEO effective 07-August-2023. On LinkedIn, Amin expressed gratitude to Rakuten employees and leadership, saying he looks forward to new opportunities that lie ahead.

Rakuten Mobile named Kazuhiro Suzuki and Sharad Sriwastawa as co-CEOs going forward.

https://corp.mobile.rakuten.co.jp/english/news/press/2023/0807_01/

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MaxLinear and Silicon Motion spar over terminated merger

MaxLinear and Silicon Motion each issued press releases accusing the other of bad faith in their merger agreement, which MaxLinear terminated unilaterally on July 26th.

MaxLinear cited multiple grounds for its decision, including that Silicon Motion experienced a material adverse effect and multiple additional contractual failures in the 15 months since the deal was announced.

For its part, Silicon Motion categorically rejected MaxLinear’s assertions and said it will seek damages for the failed deal.

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Adtran posts Q2 sales of $327 million

Adtran reported Q2 revenue of $327.4 million, up 90% year-over-year and 1% quarter-over-quarter. Net loss attributable to the company for the second quarter of 2023 was $33.3 million, down 1,655% year-over-year and up 3% quarter-over-quarter. Non-GAAP net income was $0.1 million, down 99% year-over-year and up 102% quarter-over-quarter. 

ADTRAN Holdings Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Tom Stanton stated, “Our Q2 2023 results were in line with our expectations. Although new customer acquisitions remain near an all-time high, we anticipate the second half of 2023 will continue to present challenges due to customers optimizing inventory and the macroeconomic environment. Nevertheless, we continue to believe that we are in the early stage of an unprecedented investment cycle and ADTRAN Holdings is well positioned to be one of the largest beneficiaries.”

https://investors.adtran.com/overview/default.aspx

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Tech Update: Rethinking networking for AI

Wondering how AI is transforming data center networking?

https://youtu.be/IzmkDppguY8

Shekar Ayyar, CEO of Arrcus, explains how:

• The rise of AI applications is causing enterprises to rethink their network architectures. These applications demand massive scale and flexibility, pushing the boundaries of traditional, rigid data center technology.
• Arrcus promotes the concept of flexible networking with their network operating system, ArcOS. This system can be distributed as needed, from the core to the edge, providing a unique architecture that saves cost and connects to the 5G ecosystem.
• The transformation of data center networking is not just a nice-to-have, but a necessary architectural improvement to support applications like AI. This shift towards flexibility and scalability is the future of data center networking.

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OFS offers Fiber Solutions for America's Broadband Buildout

In support of the Build America, Buy America Act, OFC is kicking off  Fiber Solutions for America's Broadband Buildout emphasizing its well-established U.S. manufacturing capabilities. The program supports fiber broadband and middle-mile infrastructure builds under the Biden administrations BEAD initiative.

For nearly five decades, OFS with its AT&T Bell Labs heritage has been at the forefront of optical fiber, fiber optic cable, and optical connectivity development and production in the United States. The company notes that part of its heritage includes being an inventor of original fiber optic technologies.

OFS currently operates manufacturing facilities in Connecticut, Georgia, Massachusetts, and New Jersey.

OFS expanded its domestic production of optical fiber and fiber optic cable with a $139M investment in Georgia completed in 2020 and employs over 1000 people in Georgia alone.

https://www.ofsoptics.com

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Sandia Labs develops method to intregrate photonic devices on chip

Sandia National Laboratories has patented a method to create hybrid silicon devices: hybrid lasers and amplifiers made from both indium phosphide and silicon, and similarly modulators made of both lithium-niobate and silicon. The lasers generate light in the C-band and the O-band wavelengths, which are commonly used in the telecommunications industry.

The Sandia team used many of the same tools found at commercial semiconductor plants.

“We know our process is scalable, so that’s one way we’re supporting the CHIPS Act mission,” Patrick said. “Sandia is eager to collaborate with others and start building new technologies together,” stated Patrick Chu, who co-leads the National Security Photonics Center, a group of more than 60 photonics scientists and engineers at Sandia’s Microsystems Engineering, Science and Applications complex.

https://www.sandia.gov/labnews/2023/07/27/what-do-you-do-with-a-shrunken-laser/

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Virtual connections on the Equinix Fabric surpass 50,000

Equinix reported Q2 revenue of $2.0 billion, up 11% over the same quarter last year or 14% on a normalized and constant currency basis. Net income was $207 million, a 4% decrease from the same quarter last year, primarily due to lower income from operations and higher income tax expense given a favorable tax settlement in 2022.

“We continue to see momentum in our business as digital transformation accelerates the pace of innovation and changes the way business is done. By 2026, IDC is forecasting that 40% of revenue from G2000 companies will come from digital products, services and experiences, a dynamic that is reshaping the basis of competition in nearly every industry, and making digital an unprecedented force for economic growth,” stated Charles Meyers, President and CEO, Equinix.

Some highlights for Q2

• Equinix added 12 new projects including new International Business Exchange data center builds in Lisbon, Monterrey and Mumbai—in addition to the company's first build in Kuala Lumpur, one of the most strategic markets in Asia.
• Equinix was selected to build incremental data center capacity in Singapore in response to the Singapore Government's Data Center Call for Application process. 
• Equinix's Channel program delivered another strong quarter, accounting for 40% of bookings and nearly 60% of new logos. It continues to see growth from partners like Accenture, Avant, Cisco, Dell and HPE.
• Equinix's global interconnection franchise continues to perform with over 456,000 total interconnections. 
• In Q2, interconnection revenues stepped up 10% year over year as reported or 11% year over year on a normalized and constant currency basis.
• Equinix Fabric saw total virtual connections surpassing 50,000 in the quarter for the first time, as it continues to add new capabilities to support larger workloads, like data-intensive AI training models and scalable enterprise networks. 
• Beginning in the third quarter, Equinix Fabric customers will be able to provision virtual connections to cloud providers with bandwidths of up to 50 gigabits per second, with Google Cloud as the first cloud provider to support this capability.  

https://investor.equinix.com

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Ericsson opens 5G manufacturing site in Penang

Ericsson inaugurated a 5G radio equipment manufacturing site in Penang, Malaysia.

The production was inaugurated by Communications and Digital Minister YB Ahmad Fahmi bin Mohamed Fadzil (who was represented by Deputy Minister YB Teo Nie Ching), Penang Caretaker Chief Minister Tuan Chow Kon Yeow, and Swedish Ambassador to Malaysia, His Excellency Dr Joachim Bergstrom.

Ericsson has been in Malaysia since 1965 and is rolling out the 5G network for Malaysia.

In addition to delivering a world-class 5G network, the selection of Malaysia for manufacturing also increases Ericsson’s socio-economic contribution to the country. Malaysia already hosts a Global Maintenance Center in Bukit Jelutong, which is one of the largest in the world, a Regional Distribution Centre at KLIA’s Free Trade Zone. It is also the base for a Regional Competence Hub that hosts 5G expertise and regional support functions, as well as promotes local talent globally.

https://www.ericsson.com/en/press-releases/2/2023/8/malaysia-joins-ericssons-global-5g-equipment-manufacturing-supply-chain

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Dell’Oro: PON equipment revenue to grow to $13.3 B in 2027

A new report from Dell’Oro Group predicts that sales of PON equipment for fiber-to-the-home deployments, cable broadband access equipment, and fixed wireless CPE will show a 0.2 percent Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) from 2022 to 2027, as service providers continue to expand their fiber and DOCSIS 3.1/4.0 networks, while also increasing the reliability and sustainability of their broadband access networks.

“After three consecutive years of tremendous broadband network expansions and upgrades, 2023 is expected to show a return to normalized levels of spending,” said Jeff Heynen, Vice President of Broadband Access and Home Networking research at Dell’Oro Group. “After 2023, spending is expected to increase through 2026 and 2027, driven by 25 Gbps and 50 Gbps PON, Fixed Wireless CPE, as well as DAA and DOCSIS 4.0 deployments.”

Additional highlights from the Broadband Access & Home Networking 5-Year July 2023 Forecast Report:

• PON equipment revenue is expected to grow from $11.8 B in 2022 to $13.3 B in 2027, driven largely by XGS-PON deployments in North America, EMEA, and CALA.
• Revenue for Cable Distributed Access Equipment (Virtual CCAP, Remote PHY Devices, Remote MACPHY Devices, and Remote OLTs) is expected to reach $1.6 B by 2027, as operators ramp their DOCSIS 4.0 and fiber deployments.
• Revenue for Fixed Wireless CPE is expected to reach $2.7 B by 2027, led by shipments of 5G sub-6GHz and 5G Millimeter Wave units.
• Revenue for Residential Wi-Fi Routers will surpass $5.2 B in 2027, owing to massive shipments of Wi-Fi 7 units. 

https://www.delloro.com 

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Georgia’s Cellfie Mobile awards 5G upgrade contract to Nokia

Tbilisi-based Cellfie Mobile (Cellfie) awarded an expansion contract to Nokia to modernize the mobile operator’s Georgia-wide 4G network and prepare the country for a 5G-ready future. 

Under the deal, Nokia will supply equipment from its 5G AirScale portfolio powered by its energy-efficient ReefShark System-on-Chip (SoC) technology. The deal will include its latest generation of, AirScale Baseband, and Remote Radio Head (RRH) products. Nokia will modernize and upgrade existing sites with LTE networks as well as add new 5G-ready sites. 

Following the country’s 5G spectrum auction, Nokia will also introduce 5G (3.5 GHz) new sites. Cellfie will also utilize Nokia’s intelligent MantaRay Network Management system to enable a consolidated network view for improved network monitoring and management, enhanced with built-in AI functionalities.

https://www.nokia.com/about-us/news/releases/2023/08/01/nokia-takes-cellfie-mobile-forward-to-5g-ready-future/

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Nokia turns to Sanmina to build fiber broadband products in USA

Nokia announced a partnership with Sanmina to manufacture fiber-optic broadband network electronics products and optical modules in the U.S. for use in the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. 

Nokia’s plans for U.S manufacturing will include:

• Optical Line Termination card for a modular Access Node
• A small form factor OLT
• OLT optical modules
• An “outdoor-hardened” Optical Network Terminal (ONT)

Sanmina will expand its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, adding about 200 jobs.

The investment comes in the wake of the Biden administration’s Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program and the Build America Buy America Act, which were enacted as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. 

Pekka Lundmark, President and CEO of Nokia, said: “At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act together. We are committed to connecting people and communities. However, many Americans still lack adequate connectivity, leaving them at a disadvantage when it comes to accessing work, education and healthcare. Programs like BEAD can change this. By bringing the manufacturing of our fiber-optic broadband access products to the U.S., BEAD participants will be able to work with us to bridge the digital divide. We look forward to bringing more Americans online.”

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AWS sales top $22.1 billion in Q2, up 12% yoy

In its Q2 financial report, Amazon disclosed that AWS segment sales increased 12% year-over-year to $22.1 billion. AWS segment operating income was $5.4 billion, compared with operating income of $5.7 billion in second quarter 2022.

AWS now represents 17% of the company's overall sales.

“Our AWS growth stabilized as customers started shifting from cost optimization to new workload deployment, and AWS has continued to add to its meaningful leadership position in the cloud with a slew of generative AI releases that make it much easier and more cost-effective for companies to train and run models (Trainium and Inferentia chips), customize Large Language Models to build generative AI applications and agents (Bedrock), and write code much more efficiently with CodeWhisperer,” stated Andy Jassy, Amazon CEO.

https://ir.aboutamazon.com/news-release/news-release-details/2023/Amazon.com-Announces-Second-Quarter-Results/

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PCI-SIG forms Optical Workgroup to enable higher PCIe performance

PCI-SIG has established a new Optical Workgroup to deliver PCI Express (PCIe) technology over optical connections. 

The PCI-SIG Optical Workgroup intends to be optical technology-agnostic, supporting a wide range of optical technologies, while potentially developing technology-specific form factors.

“Optical connections will be an important advancement for PCIe architecture as they will allow for higher performance, lower power consumption, extended reach and reduced latency,” said Nathan Brookwood, Research Fellow at Insight 64. 

“Many data-demanding markets and applications such as Cloud and Quantum Computing, Hyperscale Data Centers and High-Performance Computing will benefit from PCIe architecture leveraging optical connections.”

“We have seen strong interest from the industry to broaden the reach of the established, multi-generational and power-efficient PCIe technology standard by enabling optical connections between applications,” said PCI-SIG President and Chairperson Al Yanes. 

Existing PCI-SIG workgroups will continue their generational march towards a 128GT/s data rate in the PCIe 7.0 specification, while this new optical workgroup will work to make the PCIe architecture more optical-friendly.

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CoreWeave secures $2.3 billion debt financing for its GPU cloud

CoreWeave, a specialized cloud provider built for large-scale GPU-accelerated workloads, secured $2.3 billion in debt financing led by Blackstone and Magnetar with participation from Coatue, DigitalBridge, BlackRock, PIMCO,  Carlyle and Great Elm.

The company says the debt facility provides the financial headroom and flexibility to scale and to continue acquiring cutting edge technology.

Coreweave recently announced a new $1.6 billion data center in Texas, its first facility in the state. 

Last month, CoreWeave reported record-breaking performance results on the MLPerf benchmark.  

https://www.coreweave.com/

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Cloudflare posts Q2 sales of $308.5 million, up 32% yoy

Cloudflare reported Q2 venue of $308.5 million, representing an increase of 32% year-over-year. Non-GAAP net income was $33.7 million, compared to $0.3 million in the second quarter of 2022. Non-GAAP net income per diluted share was $0.10, compared to $0.00 in the second quarter of 2022.

“In the second quarter, we grew revenue 32% year-over-year to $308.5 million, had a record quarter for new ACV bookings, and delivered the fourth consecutive quarter of record operating profit. Our team has proven that we can execute in good times and can also deliver operational improvements while we're in more challenging times,” said Matthew Prince, co-founder & CEO of Cloudflare. “Our innovation engine remains in high gear, and by our estimates, Cloudflare is the most commonly used cloud provider across leading AI startups. In the second quarter alone, we shared ten major announcements and features to extend Cloudflare Workers as the preeminent development platform built for the age of AI. We believe we’re uniquely positioned to become a leader in AI inferencing and have a lot more in store across the entire AI lifecycle to help enable companies to build the future.”

https://cloudflare.net/events-and-presentations/default.aspx

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Dell'Oro: Single-Vendor SASE to grow twice as fast as multi-vendor SASE

The increased enterprise preference for single-vendor SASE solutions is expected to propel its growth at twice the rate of multi-vendor SASE solutions, according to a new report from Dell'Oro Group. Enterprises are anticipated to spend nearly $34 B between 2022 and 2027 on single-vendor SASE solutions. Though multi-vendor SASE solutions are projected to grow slower, they will continue to occupy a significant part of the SASE market, with enterprise spend expected to be $29 B between 2022 and 2027.

"Since we started tracking the SASE market in 2019, multi-vendor solutions have represented most of the market compared to single-vendor. However, in 2023 we anticipate that single-vendor SASE will become the majority of the market," said Mauricio Sanchez, Sr. Director, Enterprise Security and Networking at Dell'Oro Group. "As single-vendor SASE solution maturity increases, so is the comfort in purchasing it all from a single vendor. The pressure to go after best-of-breed from multiple vendors is slowly diminishing," added Sanchez.

Additional highlights from SASE and SD-WAN 5-Year July 2023 Forecast Report:

• Total spend on SASE solutions, whether single- or multi-vendor, to eclipse $63 B between 2022 and 2027.
• Unified SASE is anticipated to grow at a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 30 percent between 2022 and 2027, over twice the disaggregated SASE rate.
• The report further divides the total SASE market along its two components, Security Service Edge (SSE) and SD-WAN, and details how the substantial spend on both is expected to drive SD-WAN annual spending to nearly $6 B and SSE spending to over $8 B by 2027.
• SD-WAN sales to service providers that offer managed SD-WAN will continue to outpace SD-WAN sold to enterprises that self-manage.

www.delloro.com

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Tenstorrent raises 100M for its AI processors

Tenstorrent, a start-up based in Toronto with offices in Austin and Santa Clara, closed a $100M strategic financing up-round led by Hyundai Motor Group and Samsung Catalyst Fund, with participation from Fidelity Ventures, Eclipse Ventures, Epiq Capital, Maverick Capital, and more. 

Tenstorrent specializes in AI processors and licenses AI and RISC-V IP.  The company says it will use the funding for the design and development of AI chiplets, and its ML software roadmap.   

“The trust in Tenstorrent shown by Hyundai Motor Group and Samsung Catalyst Fund leading our round is truly humbling,” said Jim Keller, CEO of Tenstorrent.  “It has been impressive watching Hyundai Motor Group become the third largest automaker in the world through their aggressive adoption of technology including their acquisition of Boston Dynamics, their joint venture with Aptiv, and now their investment in us.”

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MACOM appoints SVP for Advanced Semiconductors

MACOM announced the appointment of Wayne Struble as Senior Vice President, Advanced Semiconductor Technology.

Struble, who has served as a MACOM Distinguished Fellow of Technology since joining MACOM in 2010, is an expert in Radio Frequency, microwave and millimeter wave integrated circuit design, semiconductor device modeling and testing, compound semiconductor process development and wireless communication system design. 

During his distinguished 40-year career, Mr. Struble has made significant technical contributions to the semiconductor industry in the areas of Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) and Gallium Nitride (GaN) circuit design and process development, published more than 25 technical papers and holds more than 50 patents in the field of RF and microwave semiconductors.

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