ADVA trials 400G data center interconnect over PIONIER R&E network

Optical transport systems company ADVA Optical Networking says it successfully demonstrated 400-Gbps optical transmission in a data center interconnect setting. The trial, conducted in collaboration with Poland's Poznan Supercomputing and Networking Center (PSNC), used fiber-optic network infrastructure from the PIONIER research and education network.

ADVA used its FSP 3000 CloudConnect platform to transmit 400 Gbps over 385 km of fiber between research and education centers in Poznan and Warsaw (see "ADVA offers 'not too small' data center interconnect optical transport platform" for more on the system). The 400-Gbps transmission comprised a pair of 200-Gbps wavelengths within an optical superchannel using 16QAM. ADVA says its data center interconnect platform maintained the 400 Gbps for 14 hours without any block errors, which the company asserts is a first. It also demonstrated an optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) of approximately 20 dB.

The test highlighted the system's ability to support multiple data rates and modulation formats as well, ADVA says. In terms of data rates, this included 200 Gbps, 300 Gbps, and 400 Gbps; modulation formats included QPSK, 8QAM, and 16QAM.

The system setup also included reconfigurable add/drop multiplexers (ROADMs) and hybrid amplifiers.

Artur Binczewski, director, Network Division at PSNC, expressed enthusiasm over the test results. "This technology opens so many new possibilities for Poland's research and education communities," he was quoted as saying in an ADVA press release. "We'll be able to collaborate and share data on a whole new scale. We've never had an opportunity like this before. We are involved in many data-intense projects. Our work with CERN is, perhaps, the most well-known of these."

ADVA has supplied optical transport technology for the PIONIER network since at least 2004 (see, most recently, "Research and education network PIONIER adds ADVA ROADM technology").

For more information on high-speed transmission systems and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer's Guide.