How to Determine Your Path to 400G

A new white paper from Simeon explores the factors data center owners and operators should consider when determining which path to 400G they should take.

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According to a new white paper from Simeon, data centers of all sizes should be aware of the how the standards for 400 Gigabit and 800 Gigabit are developing and being implemented. They note that “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.” According to Simeon, these developments should be used to inform data center strategies for getting to 400G and beyond.

In the white paper, Simeon outlines the key drivers, trends, and technology already in place, as well as the industry standards for 400 Gigabit that have already been established. The author provides an informative table that illustrates how the “current IEEE Ethernet standards for 400 Gigabit encompass both multimode and singlemode applications for various distances and forms of transmission via existing fiber cabling and connectivity.”

Simeon also outlines the different migration paths for enterprise and cloud data centers, which have distinctly different environments when it comes to server and uplink speeds. The author notes that for large enterprise companies starting to evaluate their migration to 400G, “the primary deployment will be breakout configurations where a single 400 Gigabit switch port breaks out to eight 50 Gb/s connections or four 100 Gigabit connections to optimize port utilization and switch density for reduced cost.”

“While there are several options for 400 Gigabit deployments, there is no single infrastructure design for every data center. ” – Simeon, “The Journey to 400/800G has Begun“

When it comes to 400G cost considerations, the author notes that “data center managers need to carefully weigh their options against future plans and consider their ability to leverage existing infrastructure based on cable and connectivity, as well as channel lengths.”

Simeon concludes by explaining that 400G is just one stop along the journey. Objectives are already being defined for 800 Gigabit, including several objectives for data centers that are slated for 2025. The author says, “if these speeds are not currently in your organization’s mid-to-long-term view, as we’ve seen from other similar developments over the years, these advancements will only improve your options as you migrate to higher speeds along this route. This will provide you with variety of roads to travel using tried and tested solutions that help you reach your planned destination.”

Download the full report to learn more about the road to 400 G and beyond.