Verizon Business partners with HCLTech for Managed Network Services

Verizon Business designated HCLTech as its primary Managed Network Services (MNS) collaborator in all networking deployments for global enterprise customers.

HCL Technologies (HCLTech) is an Indian multinational information technology services and consulting company headquartered in Noida.

Under the partnership, Verizon Business will continue to lead all customer acquisition, sales, solutioning, and overall planning and development with its customers. HCLTech will lead post-sale implementation and ongoing support. To execute the tightly coordinated balance of responsibilities at enterprise scale, a select group of Verizon Business Global Customer Operations staff will transition to HCLTech.

The companies said the partnership will help enterprise customers to  better control and scale their consumption of network services, better incorporate their broader ecosystem of technology partners, converge informational and operational technology (IT/OT) undertakings, and generally become more agile in accommodating ever changing technology needs. The managed service expertise covers complex operating environments -- across diverse locations, geographies, and devices -- while incorporating new technologies into their stack, including 5G, SD-WAN and SASE capabilities.

“HCLTech is a widely recognized industry leader for Managed Network Services, and with their IT service expertise and ongoing support of our enterprise networking deployments, Verizon Business can modernize our service delivery and simultaneously heighten our focus on helping customers incorporate next-generation technology like 5G, SD-WAN and SASE into their operations and their own customer offerings,” said Kyle Malady, CEO, Verizon Business. “IT/OT convergence is the future of data-centric business operations, and with the fast-accelerating pace of digitalization, customers need a well-coordinated delivery framework to realize that future.”

“Managed Network Services is core to our business, and we’re proud to collaborate with Verizon Business to lead MNS in all of their network deployments, modernization and operations for private enterprise,” said C Vijayakumar, CEO and Managing Director, HCLTech. “Our data-driven service delivery, advanced network capabilities and frictionless customer interfaces combined with the unique strengths and resiliency of the Verizon network will enable enterprises to drive better business outcomes and time to market. I am excited to welcome the incoming employees from Verizon Business Global Customer Operations and look forward to a successful and fulfilling journey together.”

https://www.verizon.com/about/news/verizon-business-forms-global-strategic-partnership-hcltech

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Tech Update: The AI Networking Bandwidth Challenge

Scaling network infrastructure for AI faces a daunting challenge. Compared to today's servers connected at 100 Gbps, AI clusters will demand 30 Tbps - a 300X increase.

Nigel Alvares, VP of Global Marketing and Business Planning, Marvell, explains:

- The current cloud AI infrastructure is facing a bottleneck issue due to the need for greater bandwidth connectivity between growing capabilities of GPUs, TPUs, and AI accelerators.
- The solution to this challenge lies in the use of Optics. Optics are needed to connect these clusters together, within the clusters, and to connect the AI engines to memory, storage, and to one another.
- Marvell is addressing this opportunity with PAM4 technology spanning 800 gigabits per second, aiming to reach 1.6 terabist per second over the next year. They are also working with the ecosystem to scale beyond this.

https://youtu.be/E2eAwrfFEdA

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https://ngi.fyi/tech-marvell-nigel

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"Unpacking NaaS - Beyond Financing Models"

Will Network as a Service (NaaS) really change the way businesses operate?

Neil Anderson, AVP, Cloud and Infrastructure from WWT discusses:

- NaaS is not just a new financing model, it's a fundamentally different service that's changing the way businesses consume technology.

- With NaaS, businesses don't own the equipment but consume it more like a home broadband model, paying a provider a certain amount per month for the service.

- The key characteristics of NaaS include a different service model and a new way of financing equipment, making it a real game-changer in the tech industry

https://youtu.be/7d50lNKiJG4

Full showcase on #SASE, #SSE, #SDWAN, #ZTNA, #MCN, #NaaS at: https://ngi.fyi/sdwansaseztna23yt

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

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IBM unveils analog AI chip for deep learning inference

 IBM Research introduced a mixed-signal analog AI chip for running a variety of deep neural network (DNN) inference tasks. 

The device has been tested to be as adept at computer vision AI tasks as digital counterparts, while being considerably more energy efficient.

The chip was fabricated in IBM’s Albany NanoTech Complex, and is composed of 64 analog in-memory compute cores (or tiles), each of which contains 256-by-256 crossbar array of synaptic unit cells. Compact, time-based analog-to-digital converters are integrated in each tile to transition between the analog and digital worlds. Each tile is also integrated with lightweight digital processing units that perform simple nonlinear neuronal activation functions and scaling operations.

The chip also has digital communication pathways at the chip interconnects of all the tiles and the global digital processing unit.

https://research.ibm.com/blog/analog-ai-chip-inference?sf180876106=1

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Equinix to build fourth data center in Mumbai

Equinix plans to invest $42 million for its fourth International Business Exchange data center in Mumbai, India.

Equinix currently has two IBX data centers in Mumbai, named MB1 and MB2. The two data centers are home to the digital infrastructure of more than 300 international and local companies, including access to the world's leading cloud service providers Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud and Oracle Cloud. They also host global networks, content delivery network providers, local carriers, more than 165 internet service providers (ISPs) and five internet exchanges. Businesses can use Platform Equinix® to quickly interconnect with these providers and their own global IBX deployments using on-demand, self-service connectivity.

In March 2022, Equinix announced its plan to enter the Chennai market with a land acquisition of over 5.5 acres. In June 2022, Equinix announced plans to expand its footprint with an investment of over US$86 million to build its third data center in Mumbai, called MB3.

Manoj Paul, Managing Director, Equinix India commented, "The increased digitalization of the economy is constantly driving the need for data center and interconnection services in India. The availability of MB4, expected in Q4 2023, will allow us to continue serving our customers' needs in India, enabling them to leverage our interconnection platform for efficient connectivity to multiple cloud service providers, network service providers and other businesses. This will help existing and new customers accelerate their digital transformation journey."

https://www.equinix.com/newsroom/press-releases/2023/08/equinix-expands-footprint-in-mumbai-to-address-rising-demand-for-digital-infrastructure

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SES completes FCC's C-Band Transition Clearing

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has validated the certification of SES’s Phase II accelerated C-band clearing and relocation activities. 

With the help of trusted partners across the U.S., SES has completed all of its Phase II C-band clearing and relocation requirements and all transition activities put forth in its Transition Plan. Phase II activities included:

* Launching five new satellites to continue enabling the broadcast delivery of digital television to nearly 120 million TV homes, as well as providing critical data services, in the upper 200 MHz of the C-band (4000-4200 MHz).

* Repacking all of its C-band downlink services in the continental United States (CONUS) into the upper 200 MHz of the C-band and relocating all associated Incumbent Earth Stations throughout CONUS into the upper 200 MHz of the C-band.

* Making all necessary equipment changes to associated Incumbent Earth Stations in CONUS to allow the operators of such Incumbent Earth Stations to receive substantially the same service during and after the transition as they were able to receive before the transition, including providing passband filters to block signals from the 3700-4000 MHz band to all associated Incumbent Earth Stations in CONUS.

* Modifying telemetry, tracking, and control (TT&C) operations to receive telemetry above the 4000 MHz band and completing gateway consolidation to its Brewster and Hawley facilities.

“We are incredibly proud to meet the FCC’s ambitious Phase II deadline ahead of schedule, and it speaks to the remarkable work and caliber of the SES team, our trusted partners, and our network of vendors over the last five years.” said Ruy Pinto, CEO at SES. “Beyond executing a major strategic project that enables the FCC to usher in the next generation of 5G connectivity and innovation in the United States, I am pleased to say we have placed our customers’ interests first and carefully transitioned our customers to ensure they will be able to continue delivering uninterrupted C-band broadcast and radio services to millions of American homes.”

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VIAVI posts revenue of $264 million, looks for stabilization

 VIAVI reported revenue of $263.6 million for its fourth fiscal quarter ended July 1, 2023, down from $335.3 million for the same period a year earlier.

GAAP net loss was $(0.1) million, or $— per share. Non-GAAP net income was $22.7 million, or $0.10 per share.

"During the 2023 fiscal fourth quarter, we saw initial signs of stabilization and gradual recovery. Despite the slowdown in overall service provider spend, some service providers have begun to free up funds for network maintenance and optimization, which benefits VIAVI's NSE business segment. As a result, our fiscal fourth quarter revenue came in above the higher end of our guidance range. We expect the stabilization and recovery momentum to continue throughout our fiscal year," said Oleg Khaykin, VIAVI's President and Chief Executive Officer.

• Network Enablement revenue was $173.3 million, down 22% yoy
• Service Enablement revenue was $24.6 million, up 2.5% yoy
• Optical Security and Performance produce revenue was $65.7 million, down 26.3%
• Americas, Asia-Pacific and EMEA customers represented 41.0%, 32.4% and 26.6%, respectively, of total net revenue for the quarter ended July 1, 2023.

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Zayo adds Bill Smith to its Board

Zayo announced the addition of Bill Smith to its board of directors. 

Smith most recently served as the interim CEO of PG&E – one of the nation’s largest utility companies – and remains a member of the company’s Board of Directors. Prior to that, he spent over 37 years at BellSouth and AT&T, most recently serving as President of Technology Operations, where he oversaw over 100,000 badged employees and was responsible for all technology planning, engineering and operations for wireless and wireline networks worldwide. 

https://www.zayo.com/newsroom/zayo-welcomes-industry-vet-bill-smith-to-board-of-directors/

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Cignal AI: Linear optics and 800G optics forecast

A new report from Cignal AI finds that linear optics face sizable business and technical challenges despite the promise of significant system power savings.

According to the newly released Active Insight report “The Linear Drive Market Opportunity,” only a fraction of Cignal AI’s 800GbE datacenter optics forecast will employ Linear Drive by 2027. 

“There is tremendous excitement for Linear Drive architecture because it addresses the most challenging design problem for high-speed datacenter optics – power consumption – head on,” said Scott Wilkinson, Lead Analyst for Optical Components at Cignal AI. “But while researching the market opportunity, we found that market and technical challenges will limit Linear Drive optics to select hyperscale applications.”

Key findings:

• Linear Drive offers compelling power savings, but competing solutions are being developed in parallel that will dull its impact.
• Issues around switch chip support, system design, interoperability, and timing will limit the overall size of the Linear Drive market opportunity.
• Given the amount of investment being funneled into Linear Drive, some modules will be deployed in niche cases within homogenous hyperscale datacenters.
• Cignal AI anticipates that less than 10% of our 800GbE datacenter optics forecast will use Linear Drive.

https://cignal.ai/2023/08/linear-drive-will-be-a-small-fraction-of-800gbe-market/

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SK hynix previews 321-layer 4D NAND

SK hynix previewed samples of its 321-layer 4D NAND at this week’s Flash Memory Summit (FMS) 2023 in Santa Clara, California. The company plans to raise the level of completion of the 321-layer product and start mass production from the first half of 2025.

The device is the first NAND memory to exceed 300 layers.

SK hynix expects its 321-layer 1Tb TLC NAND comes will bring a 59% improvement in productivity, compared with the earlier generation of 238-layer 512Gb, thanks to the technology development that enabled stacking of more cells and larger storage capacity on a single chip, meaning the total capacity that can be produced on a single wafer increased.

SK hynix also announced that it has started development of the next-generation PCIe Gen6 and UFS 5.0.

https://www.skhynix.com/

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Deutsche Telekom raises guidance following strong Q2

For Q2 2023, Deutsche Telekom Group service revenue was up 1.4 percent to 23.0 billion euros (up 3.2 percent in organic terms), while net revenue was down 2.4 percent to 27.2 billion euros. The drop in net revenue was primarily due to the planned withdrawal from the terminal equipment business in the United States. Reported net profit were up 5.4 percent to 1.5 billion euros.

“We continued our successful course in the second quarter,” said CEO Tim Höttges. “Our businesses are developing well, despite complex market environments. This is underscored by our organic growth rates for service revenues, earnings, and free cash flow.”

Some highlights 

Germany

• customer growth continued unabated in all areas, with Telekom remaining the strongest provider in the market. 
• 67,000 broadband net additions were recorded between April and June of this year. 
• 43 percent of consumers have now subscribed to a rate plan offering bandwidths of up to 100 Mbit/s or higher. 
• At 36,000, Magenta TV net additions also exceeded the prior-year quarter.
• At the end of the first six months of the year, 833,000 customers used an FTTH line, which corresponds to a year-on-year increase of more than 38 percent.

United States

• With 1.6 million postpaid net additions in the second quarter, T-Mobile US recorded more than its two nationwide competitors, Verizon and AT&T, combined. 
• The number of postpaid phone customers increased by 760,000, marking the strongest second-quarter growth in eight years. 
• At the same time, T-Mobile US is losing fewer and fewer customers, as can be seen in the record-low churn rate of just 0.77 percent. For the first time, that is the best rate in the industry. 
• There is also strong growth in high-speed internet, i.e., internet access at home through mobile communications. 3.7 million customers are already using this product, with 509,000 net additions in the second quarter alone.

Europe

• Revenue increased by 6.2 percent to 2.9 billion euros. Earnings increased by 3.9 percent year-on-year. This marked 22 consecutive quarters of adjusted EBITDA AL growth, more than offsetting the negative effect of higher energy prices. 
• The number of broadband lines increased by 72,000 in the second quarter, the number of customers using fixed-mobile convergence products by 152,000, and the number of TV customers by 34,000. 
• Mobile contract net additions totaled 173,000.

https://www.telekom.com/en/investor-relations

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Intel cites progress with fabs in Ohio, Arizona, Oregon

On the one year anniversary of the CHIPS and Science Act being enacted into law, Intel provided an update on the new manufacturing facilities and programs.

Some highlights

• Intel is doubling down on research and development (R&D) that will fuel new, leading-edge chip manufacturing facilities 
• Intel is investing in much-needed workforce development programs to ensure American workers have the necessary skills and talent to out-innovate the competition and meet the long-term demand for leading-edge semiconductors.
• Intel is executing on or ahead of schedule to deliver five process nodes in four years and return process technology leadership to the U.S. by 2025. 
• As a member of the CHIPS Industrial Advisory Committee (IAC), Intel is working to make the National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC) and National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program (NAPMP) successful ventures. 
• In 2021, Intel announced more than $43.5 billion in new manufacturing investments across Arizona, New Mexico and Ohio.
• Intel is expanding in Arizona from two to four leading-edge semiconductor factories that are estimated to cost $15 billion to $20 billion each.
• In New Mexico, Intel is investing at least $3.5 billion on equipment upgrades for advanced semiconductor packaging operations. W
• Intel’s greenfield investment in two new leading-edge fabs in Ohio marks the single largest private-sector investment in the state's history. This “Silicon Heartland” will establish a new regional economic cluster for U.S. chipmaking and become an epicenter of leading-edge technology.
• In Oregon, Intel proposed a multibillion-dollar expansion and modernization of our facilities that will put the company on a path to regain process technology leadership and continue to advance Moore’s Law.
• Intel announced a $100 million investment last year to expand semiconductor education, research and workforce training opportunities across the nation. This includes a $50 million match for a total $100 million partnership with the National Science Foundation to expand opportunities in the United States. It also includes a $50 million investment to fund the Intel Semiconductor Education and Research Program (SERP) for Ohio – a collaborative, multi-institution program designed to directly support our new operations in Ohio.

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/newsroom/opinion/intel-poised-to-unleash-america-innovation-boom.html#gs.489h5y

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Dell'Oro: Service Provider router market to hit $77B over 5 years

 The cumulative revenues spent on Service Provider (SP) Router and Switch equipment are projected to approach $77 billion over the next five years, according to a new report from Dell'Oro Group. This represents a 9 percent increase compared to the cumulative revenue of the previous five-year period, propelled largely by a combination of applications driving higher volumes of traffic such as proliferation of 5G on mobile networks, residential broadband shifting to higher speed Cable, and PON, and increased use of video.

“Although we’ve seen strong market growth in 2023, double the normal growth rate, we expect it to be short term. Vendors have been building backlog for two years and the recent strong growth is a result of improved component supply which enabled vendors to release large quantities of product into the market,” stated Ivaylo Peev, Senior Analyst at Dell’Oro Group. “We saw particularly strong sales to hyperscalers in North America at the beginning of 2023. Large Cloud SPs deploy routers to interconnect geographically dispersed facilities, connect to Telecom SP wide area networks, and connect inside the data centers. However, we believe that the surge in sales to Cloud SPs has passed its peak and will slow over the forecast period. Cloud SPs have heavily invested in 400 Gbps infrastructure in the last few years and are well prepared for AI workloads,” added Peev.

Some highlights:

• Dell'Oro expects the combined SP Edge Router and Aggregation Switch segment’s growth to be propelled by SPs’ expansion of mobile backhaul networks followed by broadband expansion. 
• Broadband SP investment in fiber will result in significant traffic increases. 
• Broadband providers will continue upgrading Edge Routers to support faster speeds and lower latency.
• Disaggregated Router sales are gaining share, and it is anticipated that this trend will continue throughout the forecast horizon. Existing Telecom SP projects are progressing, and new use cases are moving from testing to production. 
• Growth is driven by ongoing deployments in the maturing AT&T project as well as by new deployments by Turkcell, the leading mobile operator of Turkey, and KDDI Corporation, a Tier One Japanese telecom operator.

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GlobalFoundries posts Q2 sales of $1.845B, down 7% yoy

GlobalFoundries Inc. (GF) reported Q2 revenue of $1,845 million, net income of $237 million, and adjusted net income of $297 million. Gross margin was 28.8% and adjusted gross margin was 29.6%.

"In the second quarter, GF delivered financial results at the upper end of the guidance ranges we provided in our May earnings release" said Dr. Thomas Caulfield, president and CEO of GF. "Despite the cyclical headwinds impacting our industry and continued macroeconomic uncertainty, we delivered consistent financial performance and generated $146 million of free cash flow in the quarter, as GF’s global teams diligently managed costs, while driving differentiated solutions to meet our customers' needs, across several critical growth markets."

Recent Business Highlights

* GF and Lockheed Martin announced a strategic collaboration to advance U.S. semiconductor manufacturing and innovation and to increase the security, reliability and resilience of domestic supply chains for national security systems.


* The U.S. Department of Defense accredited GF's advanced manufacturing facility in Malta, New York, as a Category 1A Trusted Supplier with the ability to manufacture secure semiconductors for a range of critical aerospace and defense applications.

https://investors.gf.com/

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Infinera posts Q2 sales of $376.2 million

Infinera reported Q2 GAAP revenue of $376.2 million compared to $392.1 million in the first quarter of 2023 and $358.0 million in the second quarter of 2022.

GAAP gross margin for the quarter was 38.0% compared to 37.5% in the first quarter of 2023 and 30.5% in the second quarter of 2022. Non-GAAP net loss for the quarter was $(0.7) million, or $(0.00) per diluted share, compared to non-GAAP net income of $5.7 million, or $0.02 per diluted share, in the first quarter of 2023, and non-GAAP net loss of $(10.1) million, or $(0.05) per diluted share, in the second quarter of 2022.

Infinera CEO David Heard said, “The second quarter was another solid quarter in which revenue, margins, and earnings per share beat consensus estimates and came in above the mid-point of our outlook range. On a year-over-year basis, we grew revenue by 5% in the quarter and 10% in the first half of the year, and expanded quarterly gross margin by more than 300 basis points. We continued to win new strategic deals with major telecom service providers and hyperscale customers in the Systems business and have received additional orders for our Subsystems business as well.”

“While the second half industry outlook is cautious with customers working down inventory and slowing the pace of new technology investments, we remain confident in our plan to deliver earnings per share expansion in 2023 on our path to generating at least a $1 per share in earnings by 2025-2026,” continued Mr. Heard.

https://investors.infinera.com

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OIF's External Laser Small Form-Factor Pluggable (ELSFP) Implementation Agreement

OIF announced an implementation agreement for external lasers delivering continuous wave (CW) light to optical transceivers co-packaged within a system.

The External Laser Small Form-Factor Pluggable (ELSFP) Implementation Agreement (IA) specifies a front panel pluggable form factor tailored to co-packaged optical systems and other multiple laser external laser source applications.

OIF says this is the first multi-sourced, front panel pluggable external laser source form factor to address the evolving needs of the industry. By placing the laser sources at the front panel, which is the coolest section of the system, the design improves system reliability and allows for efficient “hot-swap” field replacement when necessary.

The ELSFP uses a multi-fiber blind-mate optical connector positioned at the rear of the module. This strategic design mitigates potential eye-safety risks, particularly in applications where high optical powers are involved. Each ELSFP can supply optical power to one or more optical engines, all seamlessly managed by OIF’s Common Management Interface Specification (CMIS).

This IA also defines interoperability for mechanical, thermal, electrical and optical parameters as well as establishing standard power ranges and fiber configurations to focus the industry’s development. 

The final feature unique to ELSFP is the pass-through option which allows systems architects to maximize face plate real estate, solidifying ELSFP’s position as a versatile and adaptable solution for various optical networking applications.

“The ELSFP IA represents a significant milestone for the optical networking industry,” said Jeff Hutchins, OIF Board Member and Physical & Link Layer (PLL) Working Group Co-Packaging Vice Chair and Ranovus. “By providing a front panel pluggable external laser source form factor, we’re empowering network operators and equipment manufacturers with a cutting-edge solution that not only improves reliability but also paves the way for future innovations. The ELSFP’s flexible design accommodates the ever-changing needs of the industry, enabling seamless integration with OIF’s 3.2T co-packaged optical module project and beyond.”

OIF also notes that while the ELSFP project was originally envisioned to complement the 3.2T co-packaged optical module, its forward-looking design makes it easily extensible to address future requirements.

“The ELSFP has already garnered a favorable industry reception through its potential to propel external laser source applications forward, as evidenced by strong collaboration among OIF member both in writing the IA and the substantial engagement in numerous interoperability demonstrations facilitated by OIF,” said Jock Bovington, Cisco, and editor of the OIF ELSFP IA.

https://www.oiforum.com/wp-content/uploads/OIF-ELSFP-01.0.pdf

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Nephio R1 brings Kubernetes-based automation to carrier clouds

Project Nephio, an open source initiative of partners across the telecommunications industry working towards true cloud-native automation under the Linux Foundation, announced the availability of its Release 1 (R1). 

Nephio delivers carrier-grade, Kubernetes-based cloud native intent automation and common automation templates. The goal is to simplify the deployment and management of multi-vendor cloud infrastructure and network functions across large-scale edge deployments. 

Project Nephio launched in April 2022 with seed code provided by Google Cloud.  

Nephio R1 highlights: 

• A framework to orchestrate cloud native network functions (CNF), infrastructure, and cross-domain lifecycle management
• Core Nephio principles and Kubernetes integration with custom resource definitions (CRDs).
• Enhanced user experience and sandbox environment.

New feature details:

• Common configuration templates to provision and life-cycle management of cloud infrastructure, Kubernetes clusters, 5G network functions and network configurations
• Gitops- based package management and scaled deployment using Kubernetes Resource Model (KRM) and Configuration as data (CaD)
• Uniform Kubernetes CRD and operator-based deployment of multi-cloud infrastructure and multi-vendor network functions
• Kubernetes- based Nephio control-plane which supports single pane of management of large scale deployments
• Common set of user interface and APIs for integration with service orchestration layers
• Multiple personas- based management and approval of configurations

"We are thrilled to see the high-demand release of Nephio R1,” said Arpit Joshipura, general manager, Networking, Edge, and IoT, the Linux Foundation. “By simplifying the complexity of orchestrating interconnected workloads across large-scale edge deployments, R1 represents significant progress managing  large systems within the cloud-native ecosystem.”

“The telecommunications industry is in much need for open, standard, efficient cloud-native automation solutions to keep up with connectivity demands,” said Gabriele Di Piazza, senior director, Product Management, Google Cloud. “The release of Nephio R1 simplifies cloud based deployments and network management, while also demonstrating the importance of telecom and technology companies working together to develop open cloud native automation solutions that are scalable, reliable, and secure.”

“Nephio is a game-changer for the telecom industry. It can help telecoms to automate their entire network efficiently and reliably, while achieving true zero-touch provisioning. The speed in which the community has embraced Kubernetes principles and further evolved Google Cloud’s seed code to deliver Nephio R1 is truly phenomenal. It's clear that there is a great need for intent based automation to simplify the telecom deployments, and Nephio is well-positioned to meet that demand.” said Kandan Kathirvel, Technical Steering Committee chair, Nephio.

https://www.linuxfoundation.org/press/nephio-community-gains-momentum-with-release-1-to-simplify-cloud-native-network-automation?utm_content=259524116&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin&hss_channel=lcp-85616485

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Lightelligence intros CXL card with optical interconnect

Lightelligence, a start-up based in Boston with offices in Hangzhou, Shanghai, and Nanjing, introduced optical communications hardware designed for PCIe and Compute Express Link (CXL) connectivity.

Photowave, which is is being demonstrated at this week’s Flash Memory Summit in Santa Clara, California,  enables CXL 2.0/PCIe Gen 5 connectivity over optics with support for x16, x8, x4 and x2 bifurcation modes of operation, allowing for a wide variety of deployment scenarios. In addition to high-speed electrical-to-optical conversion for the data signals, Photowave also supports sideband signals over optics making it possible to implement more efficient and reliable disaggregation architectures.

This follows Lightelligence’s introduction of Hummingbird, an Optical Network-on-Chip (oNOC) processor for domain-specific artificial intelligence (AI) workloads in June, and PACE, the world’s first integrated photonic computing system for Optical Multiply Accumulate (oMAC) in late 2021.

“We are more than excited to unveil the next piece of our product portfolio,” comments Yichen Shen, CEO of Lightelligence. “Photowave will soon set the standard for workload efficiency. It makes it possible to build scalable computing and accelerator pods with just the right amount of resources.”

https://www.lightelligence.ai/index.php/contact.html

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DISH + EchoStar merger seeks synergy in 5G and satellite services

DISH Network and EchoStar agreed to an all-stock merger that combines DISH Network's satellite technology, streaming services and nationwide 5G network with EchoStar's premier satellite communications solutions.

DISH's 5G wireless network now covers more than 70 percent of the U.S. with full commercialization underway.  The recent, successful launch of EchoStar's JUPITER 3 satellite brings significant available capacity for converged terrestrial and non-terrestrial services. The combined company will be well-positioned to deliver a broad set of communication and content distribution capabilities.

The combined company will be headquartered in Englewood, Colorado. Its brands will include DISH Wireless, Boost Wireless, Sling TV and DISH TV, as well as EchoStar, Hughes and JUPITER satellite services, HughesON managed services and HughesNet satellite internet.

Under the deal, EchoStar Corporation stockholders will receive 2.85 shares of DISH Network Class A common stock for each share of EchoStar Corporation Class A, Class C or Class D common stock and 2.85 shares of DISH Network Class B common stock for each share of EchoStar Corporation Class B common stock they own. The exchange ratio represents a premium of 12.9% to EchoStar stockholders as implied by the unaffected 30-day volume weighted average closing stock prices of the two companies on July 5, 2023, the last full trading day prior to media speculation regarding a potential transaction.

"This is a strategically and financially compelling combination that is all about growth and building a long-term sustainable business," said Charles Ergen, Chairman of the Board of both DISH Network and EchoStar. "DISH's substantial past investments in spectrum and its wireless buildout, combined with EchoStar's recent launch of JUPITER 3, are expected to significantly reduce near-term CAPEX requirements. The transaction is expected to generate significant cost and revenue synergies, and the strong asset portfolio of the combined company paired with its enhanced free cash flow generation capability and strengthened capital structure are expected to drive long-term value creation for our shareholders and other stakeholders."

"From unconnected individuals in the most rural and remote regions of the world to the constantly evolving networks of private enterprises and government institutions, the connectivity landscape is rapidly changing," said Hamid Akhavan, President and Chief Executive Officer of EchoStar. "As a combined company, we will offer a broad suite of robust connectivity services, using a superior portfolio of technology, spectrum, engineering, manufacturing and network management expertise. DISH shares our customer-first culture, and together we will be well positioned to further scale and accelerate our strategy."

"The combination of DISH and EchoStar brings together two trailblazers with complementary portfolios and a shared commitment to change the way the world communicates," said Erik Carlson, President and Chief Executive Officer, DISH Network. "DISH is transforming America's wireless infrastructure with its 5G technology. With EchoStar's engineering capabilities, managed network services delivery and worldwide S-band spectrum rights, the combined company will have greater resources and the financial flexibility to deliver connectivity to consumers, enterprises and governments around the world."

https://ir.dish.com

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Keysight collaborates with University of Stuttgart of 6G IC research

 Keysight Technologies announced a collaboration with the University of Stuttgart focused on the development of new integrated circuits (ICs) for 6G.

The research will use the new Keysight 6G Vector Component Analysis (VCA) solution. 

The collaboration has supported the University of Stuttgart in establishing Crosslink, a versatile multiplexing platform for synchronous time- and frequency-domain analyses of ultra-broadband communication channels. The Keysight VCA solution supports Crosslink by integrating sub-terahertz (sub-THz) vector network analysis with wideband modulation capabilities. This combined capability enables unprecedented radio frequency (RF) component characterization under full complex modulated conditions. The result is industry-first, best-in-class noise and linearity performance for analysis of wideband, high-frequency modulated performance of components, circuits, and transceivers. By using VCA, researchers can make significant leaps in the development of the next-generation amplifiers, filters, antenna systems, components, and the channel modeling and sounding needed for 6G networks.

The Keysight VCA measurement solution used for Crosslink integrates an N5245B PNA-X Microwave Network Analyzer, an M8199A Arbitrary Waveform Generator (AWG), broadband modulation distortion vector network analyzer (VNA) application software, and vector signal analysis (VSA) software with Virginia Diodes (VDI) frequency extenders up to 330 GHz.

https://www.keysight.com

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