Broadcom samples PCIe Gen5/Gen6 Retimers

Broadcom has begun sampling the first 5nm PCIe Gen 5.0/CXL2.0 and PCIe Gen 6.0/CXL3.1 retimers, which can be used in combination with its PEX series switches for an end-to-end PCIe solution. 

Broadcom’s  PCIe Gen 5.0 switches are broadly deployed for interconnecting AI infrastructure today and ably complement the Gen 5.0 retimers. In addition, Broadcom’s PCIe Gen 6.0/CXL3.1 switches will sample later this year to deliver an end-to-end PCIe 6.0 portfolio. Broadcom is also committed to accelerate the open AI ecosystem further with PCIe Gen7 based solutions in the near future. 

Broadcom’s wide spanning PCIe portfolio with industry-first Gen5/Gen6 end-to-end solutions include the following features and benefits: 

• Broadcom In-house SerDes: 40% greater SerDes reach and highest lane count switches in the industry enable customers to build systems with larger fanout; Built-in hardware interoperability ensures reliable signal integrity.
• Broadcom Architecture: 50% lower power and form factor flexibility with midplane/backplane/cables enable customers to create advanced AI sub-systems.
• Broadcom Advanced Diagnostics: LINKCAT™ and embedded logic analyzers drastically reduce the system design and validation cycle.
• Broadcom Software: Integrated software suite substantially eases NPI cycle and accelerates time to market.

“PCIe is one of the most critical and widely-adopted protocols for interconnecting CPUs, AI accelerators, NICs and storage devices. Broadcom’s market-leading PCIe portfolio allows our customers to architect efficient data center solutions with the lowest power and maximum reach,” said Vijay Janapaty, vice president and general manager of the Physical Layer Products Division at Broadcom. “Our PCIe Gen5/Gen6 retimers with CXL support, together with our PEX switches, enable an open, flexible and industry standard based ecosystem for next-generation AI server fabric.”

https://www.broadcom.com/company/news/product-releases/61891

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Infinera raises its outlook for Q4 2023

 Infinera released preliminary financial results for its fourth quarter ended December 30, 2023:

• Preliminary revenue is expected to be $435 million to $452 million, compared to the Company’s prior outlook of $421 million to $451 million.
• The resulting preliminary GAAP gross margin is expected to be 38.0% to 40.0%, compared to the Company’s prior outlook of 37.3% to 40.4%.
• The resulting preliminary GAAP operating margin is expected to be 0.0% to 3.0%, compared to the Company’s prior outlook of 0.7% to 5.0%.
• The resulting preliminary GAAP net income (loss) per diluted share is expected to be ($0.02) to $0.04, compared to the Company’s prior outlook of ($0.04) to $0.04.
• Preliminary non-GAAP gross margin is expected to be 39.0% to 41.0%, compared to the Company’s prior outlook of 38.0% to 41.0%, and the preliminary non-GAAP operating margin is expected to be 5.7% to 8.3%, compared to the Company’s prior outlook of 5.5% to 9.5%.
• Preliminary non-GAAP net income per diluted share is expected to be $0.07 to $0.13, compared to the Company’s prior outlook of $0.05 to $0.13 per diluted share.
• Preliminary cash and cash equivalents, including restricted cash, was approximately $174 million.

Infinera CEO David Heard said, “We ended 2023 on a high note with a strong fourth quarter during which the midpoints of our preliminary revenue, gross margin, and earnings per share ranges are all expected to come in above those of our prior outlook ranges. For the full year of 2023, we expect to deliver our sixth consecutive year of revenue growth, expand gross margin to a level approaching 40%, and grow earnings per share on a year-over-year basis.”

“As we look ahead, like the rest of the industry, we are expecting a slow first half of the year. Regardless, both the pace and scale of our design wins are accelerating. Already, in the first 60 days of 2024, we have achieved major hyperscale-influenced strategic wins, one of which is among the most significant in the company’s history, based on our Systems and Subsystems solutions. These strategic wins, combined with our design win funnel, position us well to deliver a stronger second half and place us on a path to achieve our seventh consecutive year of revenue growth with continued margin and earnings per share expansion,” continued Mr. Heard.

Infinera’s outlook for the quarter ending March 30, 2024, is as follows:

• Revenue is expected to be $320 million to $350 million.
• GAAP gross margin is expected to be 35.3% to 37.4%. Non-GAAP gross margin is expected to be 36.0% to 38.0%.
• GAAP operating expenses are expected to be $157 million to $161 million. Non-GAAP operating expenses are expected to be $143 million to $147 million.
• GAAP operating margin is expected to be (13.5%) to (8.2%). Non-GAAP operating margin is expected to be (8.5%) to (3.5%).
• GAAP net loss per diluted share is expected to be ($0.25) to ($0.17). Non-GAAP net loss per diluted share is expected to be ($0.18) to ($0.10).

https://www.infinera.com/press-release/infinera-corporation-announces-preliminary-unaudited-fourth-quarter-2023-financial-results

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Digital Realty and Mitsubishi expand data campus in Chiba Prefecture

MC Digital Realty (MCDR), a 50/50 joint venture in Japan between Digital Realty and Mitsubishi Corporation, inaugurated its second data center at the NRT campus in Inzai City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan.

NRT12 adds 34 megawatts (MW) of critical IT capacity to the campus, bringing the total to 73 MW to meet the growing demand for scalable, flexible, and AI-ready data centers in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

NRT12 is designed to offer high-density power of up to 70 kilowatts (kW) per rack, innovative Air-Assisted Liquid Cooling (AALC) technologies, low-latency networks, and high-speed connectivity that enable it to meet the demands of high-performance computing (HPC), machine learning, virtual reality, and augmented reality as well as AI/Generative AI workloads.

Additionally, the NRT campus offers Campus Connect, an interconnection service that allows customers to utilize infrastructure across multiple data centers on the campus as a single unit, facilitating efficient data exchange for AI and digital transformation initiatives. The data centers' modular design also allows for dynamic scaling of server environments to accommodate growing AI deployments.

"The launch of NRT12 marks a significant milestone for Digital Realty in Japan. This new data center, designed to world-class specifications, expands our capacity and strengthens our commitment to supporting the growing demand for AI-powered and scalable digital infrastructure in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Coupled with connectivity to PlatformDigital® and ServiceFabric™, NRT12 significantly strengthens our offerings to our customers and partners globally," said Serene Nah, Managing Director and Head of Asia Pacific, Digital Realty.

Said Chris Han, Chief Operating Officer of MC Digital Realty, "With its robust features and strategic location, NRT12 provides an ideal platform for businesses to accelerate their digital transformation journeys and unlock the full potential of cutting-edge technologies like AI and hybrid IT. We are confident that NRT12, alongside our existing data center NRT10 and the broader PlatformDIGITAL® ecosystem, will empower businesses to thrive in the ever-evolving digital landscape."

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Vertical Systems: 2023 U.S. Carrier Managed SD-WAN LEADERBOARD

 Seven companies qualify for a position on Vertical Systems Group's 2023 U.S. Carrier Managed SD-WAN Services LEADERBOARD as follows (in rank order based on site share): AT&T, Comcast Business, Verizon, Hughes, Lumen, Windstream, and Zayo. Each of these service providers has four percent (4%) or more of the billable Carrier Managed SD-WAN customer sites installed in the U.S. as of December 31, 2023.

“The number of managed SD-WAN sites in the U.S. expanded by 24% in 2023, which was lower growth than expected. Many service providers focused primarily on order fulfillment, upgrading bandwidth, and adding SASE/SSE for existing customers,” said Rick Malone, principal of Vertical Systems Group. “Share gains were led by cable MSOs and providers specializing in mid-size business sectors.”

Seven companies attain a Challenge Tier citation for year-end 2023 as follows (in alphabetical order): Aryaka, Cogent, Cox Business, Fusion Connect, MetTel, Spectrum Enterprise, and TPx. Providers in this tier have between one percent (1%) and four percent (4%) share of U.S. Carrier Managed SD-WAN sites.

2023 SD-WAN Research Highlights

• Rank positions for the top six 2023 SD-WAN LEADERBOARD companies are unchanged from mid-year 2023. Zayo attains the seventh and final position based on U.S. site share, advancing from the Challenge Tier.
• Five companies retain their Challenge Tier citations from mid-2023: Aryaka, Cox Business, MetTel, Spectrum Enterprise, and TPx.
• Two companies advance to the Challenge Tier from the mid-2023 Market Player tier: Cogent (includes Sprint assets from T-Mobile) and Fusion Connect.
• Challenges cited by market leading service providers include delayed purchase decisions due to economic uncertainties, as well as the shifts to WFH or anywhere that are impacting network site requirements. The integration of multiple SD-WAN and SASE/SSE solutions continues to be a challenge for marketing, sales, and technology teams.
• Five of the seven 2023 U.S. LEADERBOARD companies have MEF 3.0 SD-WAN Service Certification as follows: AT&T, Comcast Business, Verizon, Lumen, and Windstream. Spectrum Enterprise is the only Challenge Tier provider with MEF 3.0 SD-WAN Certification.

https://www.verticalsystems.com/2024/03/05/2023-u-s-sdwan-leaderboard/

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Taalas raises $50m for AI silicon

Taalas, start-up based in Toronto, emerged from stealth to announce $50m over two rounds of funding for its development of AI silicon.

Taalas said it is developing an automated flow for rapidly implementing all types of deep learning models (Transformers, SSMs, Diffusers, MoEs, etc.) in silicon. Proprietary innovations enable one of its chips to hold an entire large AI model without requiring external memory. The efficiency of hard-wired computation enables a single chip to outperform a small GPU data center, opening the way to a 1000x improvement in the cost of AI.

The company anticipates tapeout of its first large language model chip in the third quarter of 2024 and planning to make it available to early customers in the first quarter of 2025.

"Artificial intelligence is like electrical power – an essential good that will need to be made available to all. Commoditizing AI requires a 1000x improvement in computational power and efficiency, a goal that is unattainable via the current incremental approaches. The path forward is to realize that we should not be simulating intelligence on general purpose computers, but casting intelligence directly into silicon. Implementing deep learning models in silicon is the straightest path to sustainable AI," said Ljubisa Bajic, Taalas' CEO.

https://taalas.com/

• Taalas was founded by Ljubisa Bajic, Drago Ignjatovic, and Lejla Bajic. Prior to co-founding Taalas, Ljubisa founded Tenstorrent in 2016. Drago and Lejla joined Tenstorrent soon after as early engineering leaders. The team has spent decades collectively working together on a long list of AI processors, GPUs, and CPUs across Tenstorrent, AMD, and NVIDIA.

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#MWC24: Network Visibility with Encrypted Traffic Intelligence

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

Maintaining network visibility and security in the age of encrypted communication has become a critical issue. Sebastian Mueller, Head of Sales at ipoque, a Rohde and Schwarz company, provides insights on:

- The importance and challenges of encrypted communication: While encryption is crucial for individual privacy, it can hinder detailed network visibility, which is key for network quality and security.

- The innovative solution of Encrypted Traffic Intelligence (ETI): ipoque's latest innovation, ETI, not only detects end-to-end encrypted applications in real time but also provides further insights.

- The practical application of ETI: Using the example of OTT video models like Prime, Netflix, and Disney+, Sebastian explains how ETI can provide detailed insights about subscriber behavior, enabling service providers to make smart routing decisions and ultimately improve subscriber quality.

https://youtu.be/4LUl2nqfDYE

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#MWC24: AI Innovations in Retail, Recycling & Network Management

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

What are the hottest use cases for GenAI from the perspective of network operators? James Weaver, Senior Director of Product Marketing from Cradlepoint explains:

- How AI is being utilized in computer vision applications to automate processes such as identifying items in a shopper's bag for automatic payment, or sorting trash to avoid contamination and calculate carbon footprint credits.

- The development of natural chatbots that can preemptively identify and address network issues, enhancing efficiency and productivity.

- The implementation of AI solutions to prevent employees from inadvertently sharing sensitive information on generative AI sites, thereby bolstering company security and confidence.

https://youtu.be/tJFpXvQo5UA

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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. 

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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."

 

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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.” 

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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/

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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

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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/

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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

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

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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.  

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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

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