The race to 1.6T: Ethernet and coherent optics tackle AI’s bandwidth crunch
Networks have always been driven by the need for more speed and bandwidth, and in the AI era, that drive is accelerating the path to 1.6 terabit network connectivity.
Networks have always been driven by the need for more speed and bandwidth, and in the AI era, that drive is accelerating the path to 1.6 terabit network connectivity.
The short version
- Work on 1.6T began in 2020 and became a formal IEEE study group in 2021, before AI was the industry’s dominant discussion point.
- That work became the IEEE P802.3dj Task Force, which has been building out the specifications that are now in the balloting and formal review process before finalization, which could happen later this year.
- While the standard is being ratified, the demand is already present, and that’s manifesting as real hardware work, not just abstract roadmaps.
What happened
The goal of the demonstration is to show that the technology isn’t hype, it’s real. “That’s always the hope of the presentation and the display, that it’s not just technical mumbo jumbo on a sleep-inducing IEEE specification,” David Rodgers , president and chair of the Ethernet Alliance , told Network World .
Why it matters
It’s happening.” Where 1.6T Ethernet stands today Not everything marketed as 1.6T means the same thing.
Summary by Nerd News Network. Read the full article at Network World via the links above and below.