Ten companies have joined forces with the Georgia Institute of Technology to establish the Georgia Tech 100G Optical Networking Consortium, which is the first academic-industrial consortium in the world. $2.2 million in support has been designated for this facility by the consortium’s founding research members: ADVA Optical Networking, Ciena, OFS, and Verizon – and by supporting members Avanex, IBM, Narda Microwave East, Nistica, Picometrix, and RSoft Design Group.

The consortium allows academic and industry personnel to perform multidisciplinary research in all aspects of 100-gigabit-per-second transmission. Research topics range from fundamental studies of 100G optical transmission to assessment of optical and electronic technologies that will be used in such high-speed optical networks. A variety of network architectures will be studied, including realistic impairments found in regional and ultra long haul links. These efforts also actively support the upcoming IEEE 100G standard for short reach, client-side transport in the local area network and future IEEE standards for short reach transmission over laser-optimized, multi-mode fiber in data centers.

Historically, networking infrastructure has migrated to systems with increased transmission capacity, thereby allowing increased efficiency and the delivery of content-rich services, noted Stephen E. Ralph, the consortium’s director and a professor in Georgia Tech’s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE). Critical to the success of these new technologies is the ability to deploy them over existing fiber infrastructure, which is equivalent to increasing the capacity of a highway 10-fold without changing the roadway, he said.

The creation of this consortium at Georgia Tech enhances the competitiveness of our member companies, creating job growth in this critical area of communications and networking. The faculty of Georgia Tech is uniquely able to advance understanding in signal processing, high-speed circuits, and optical components and systems. This unique combination, together with the expertise of our industry researchers, will enable member companies to develop and demonstrate technical advantages and accelerate deployment of next generation systems and services while simultaneously influencing the next generation standards.

Located in Georgia Tech’s Technology Square Research Building, the new 100G test bed and extensive supporting simulation capabilities enable rigorous and independent evaluation of optical and electronic signal processing strategies, new modulation formats and receiver technologies, high-speed silicon CMOS-based electronics, and classical/modern forward error correction, all in realistic optical fiber transport and electronic transceiver environments.

Growth for Phase 2 is expected to bring in additional corporate support and faculty involvement in the areas of dynamic mesh networks and network security. This facility will enhance the current capabilities of the Georgia Electronic Design Center.

The Consortium’s industry members see benefits from the strong collaborations with Georgia Tech faculty and students. A close collaboration between industry and academia is crucial for successful development of new technologies. This consortium is an excellent example of the industry and university collaboration necessary to develop and test the next generation component technologies that will enable 100 Gbps optical transport on both the line side and client side.

By Vasil Sidorov on November 11, 2009 from Georgia Tech

sidorovvasil@gmail.com