While enterprise data centers are just starting to adopt 100 Gigabit speeds for switch uplinks, industry standards and active equipment for 400 Gigabit applications are now available. These speeds are still a few years out for many enterprise data centers but are already rapidly gaining ground across large hyperscale cloud providers who define the market and propel technology advancements that ultimately will trickle down to the enterprise in years to come. In fact, these trendsetters are already pushing speeds to 800 Gigabit and working to develop fiber optic technologies that enable the viability of future 1.6 and 3.2 Terabit speeds. Industry standards aren’t far behind with the IEEE Beyond 400 Gb/s Ethernet Study group already defining physical objectives for both 800 Gigabit and 1.6 Terabit fiber optic applications.
With emerging technologies continually driving the need for higher bandwidth and the road to 400 Gigabit already laid, data center owners and operators of all types and sizes need to be aware of the current standards-based options and how implementations are taking shape, while keeping an eye on developments for 800 Gigabit and beyond. This will help them determine which road towards 400 Gigabit will ultimately best align with their organization’s needs and how to optimize their infrastructure to harness the full potential of the available technologies that will digitally transform and sustain the growth of their business.
