Network Optimization in the 600G Era

By Lisa Crewe | Posted on December 20, 2018

Consumer and enterprise applications, cloud-based applications, data center interconnections, streaming videos. These technological advancements in addition to applications on the horizon such as 8k ultra-high-density video, 5G and Internet of Things (IoT) are major contributors to bandwidth growth. In fact, per Cisco’s Visual Networking Index (VNI), by 2022 there is projected to be 28.5B networked devices and connections, and 82 percent of all IP traffic will be from video. Data rates of 100G per wavelength once confined to the long-haul core portions of the network are now extending towards the edges of the network. Today, 600G per wavelength speeds are becoming available for use in the core as well as for data center interconnect (DCI) traffic.

Achieving network optimization with 600G era coherent technology
Achieving network optimization with 600G era coherent technology

The latest innovations in digital signal processing (DSP), optical, and mixed-signal component technologies have enabled the achievement of 600G-per-wavelength transmission speeds. High modulation orders (e.g., up to 64QAM) and high baud rates (e.g., up to ~70Gbaud) are now possible. In addition to this high speed achievement, these technologies also introduce advanced capabilities that allow the flexible fine-tuning of the optical transmission resulting in capacity optimization. Today’s coherent technology enables common optical hardware to achieve the high-performance finesse of a long-distance link, the sheer raw capacity for shorter DCI/edge links, and everything in between. This is the reason why some refer to 600G era coherent technology as multi-haul technology since the same set of hardware can address long-haul, metro, and DCI/edge networks.

Recently introduced, the Acacia AC1200 coherent module, powered by Acacia’s Pico DSP, a low-power solution based on 16 nm CMOS technology incorporates algorithms and processing power to address a wide range of applications. The AC1200 also includes a silicon photonics integrated circuit (PIC), and high-speed RF electronics to achieve 1.2Tbps capacity by using two wavelengths operating at 600Gbps each. The AC1200 is a leading product in the 600G era offering key capabilities that feature high-performance and high-flexibility, with the goal of enabling network operators to improve efficiency and maximize capacity utilization while reducing network costs.

Acacia recently published a white paper – Network Optimization in the 600G Era – that looks at long-haul, metro, and DCI/edge application and how the AC1200 provides benefits for each of these applications. Check it out to learn more.