UNH-IOL intros 50/100/200/400 Ethernet – PAM4 testing

The University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL) is introducing a testing service covering the new IEEE 802.3bs and the new IEEE 802.3cd specification for 50, 100, 200 and 400 Gigabit Ethernet based on PAM4 signaling.

The new services are for electrical and optical conformance testing of 50, 100, 200 and 400 Gigabit Ethernet specifications, with plans to offer interoperability testing as new higher speed Ethernet products enter into development and, eventually, the market.

UNH-IOL said the need for Ethernet speeds exceeding existing 100 Gigabit (based on 25G NRZ signaling) is being driven by exponentially increasing capacity demands across the board. Cloud service providers are looking to the higher efficiency and density that 50Gb/s PAM4 technologies (scalable up to 400Gb/s) Ethernet offers as they build out massive cloud-scale data centers, while the surge in mobile connectivity has telecoms pursuing higher speed Ethernet services. Additionally, bandwidth demand continues to grow at data centers tasked to service high-bandwidth, rich media applications such as video streaming, online gaming and digital marketing. In response, the UNH-IOL has taken a leading step to provide Ethernet stakeholders with testing services for 50, 100, 200 and 400 Gigabit through the multi-million dollar investment in new state of the art testing equipment.

“Today, a diverse array of applications and markets are driving the need for higher-speed, higher-density and lower cost connectivity solutions. Advances in new signaling technology is enabling the industry to rapidly deploy optimized solutions that achieve higher data rates to meet this demand,” said Mike Klempa, UNH-IOL Ethernet and Storage Technical Manager. “The investment in new equipment to test to these higher Ethernet speeds follows in line with UNH-IOL’s commitment to provide the most comprehensive Ethernet testing in a rapidly changing industry and also allows us to leverage our expertise in past 100Gb/s testing to help control testing costs at these evolving signaling types.”

https://www.iol.unh.edu/testing/ethernet/50-100-200-400gec