Five Claim Success in Quest for Ethernet Alliance's Holy Cup

Ethernet Alliance celebrates five technology leaders for realizing single-lambda 100 GbE; quest for Ethernet’s 100 GbE SFP Holy Grail remains unfulfilled

BEAVERTON, Ore.--()--The Ethernet Alliance, a global consortium dedicated to the continued success and advancement of Ethernet technologies, today announced the awarding of its prestigious Holy Cup to five companies publicly demonstrating single-lambda 100 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) in Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable module (QSFP28). Enabling commercially viable lowest-cost 100 GbE pluggable transceiver technology while providing streamlined architecture, proven reliability, and a clear path to 400 GbE, the achievement represents an important historic milestone in Ethernet’s history.

“The claiming of the Holy Cup is among the noblest feats in all of Ethernet-dom. All joking aside, this remarkable feat is no laughing matter. Nearly five years ago, the Ethernet Alliance challenged the Ethernet ecosystem to start building the innovative, high-speed Ethernet technologies of the future. We’re excited that the industry has done just that, however, we’ve only taken the first step,” said John D’Ambrosia, chairman, Ethernet Alliance. “Achieving system level connections of 100 GbE via a single lambda illustrates just how far we’ve come in the next Ethernet era, yet there’s still more work to do. We’re closing in on the end of the quest for Ethernet’s Holy Grail – a true 100 GbE SFP – but we’re not there yet. We congratulate all of the companies helping to turn the vision of single-lambda 100 GbE into reality, and look forward to the day when we can declare both Ethernet quests complete.”

In 2014, the Ethernet Alliance issued two challenges to the Ethernet industry:

  • Ethernet’s Holy Cup – Public demonstration of single-lambda transmission driven from a host board with an IEEE 802.3™-specified 4x25 Gigabit per second (Gb/s) electrical interface across an optical reach of 2km
  • Ethernet’s Holy Grail – Public demonstration of an SFP pluggable module, driven from a host board with a serial 100 Gb/s electrical interface

Led by those parameters, five companies claimed the Holy Cup by leveraging various switching and test and measurement equipment to transmit data between the Ethernet Alliance’s and 100G Lambda MSA’s booths at ECOC 2018 in Rome, Italy. The names of the five companies, Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAOI); InnoLight Technology (Suzhou) Ltd.; Oclaro Inc. (NASDAQ: OCLR); Source Photonics, Inc.; and Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd. (TYO: 5802) will be engraved on the Ethernet Holy Cup, and each will be recognized with an award in honor of this accomplishment.

The success of bringing single-lambda 100 GbE to market and a growing maturity in 100 GbE technologies means that upholding Ethernet’s legacy of unparalleled multivendor interoperability is increasingly critical. A central underpinning of its mission, the Ethernet Alliance continues to promote interoperability across the whole of the Ethernet technology landscape through technology demonstrations, plugfests, and other dedicated efforts. Planning has already begun for members-only plugfests designed to test next-generation Ethernet technologies; companies interested in taking part should contact the Ethernet Alliance to discuss membership options.

More insight into Ethernet’s Holy Cup and Holy Grail can be found at the Ethernet Alliance blog. For more information about the Ethernet Alliance, including how to participate in interoperability plugfests by becoming a member, please visit http://www.ethernetalliance.org, follow @EthernetAllianc on Twitter, visit its Facebook page, or join its LinkedIn group.

About the Ethernet Alliance

The Ethernet Alliance is a global consortium that includes system and component vendors, industry experts, and university and government professionals who are committed to the continued success and expansion of Ethernet technology. The Ethernet Alliance takes Ethernet standards to market by supporting activities that span from incubation of new Ethernet technologies to interoperability demonstrations and education.

Contacts

Interprose Public Relations
Melissa Power, 401-454-1314
melissa.power@interprosepr.com

Release Summary

Ethernet Alliance awards 5 companies with prestigious Holy Cup for publicly demonstrating system level connections of 100 GbE via a single lambda.

Contacts

Interprose Public Relations
Melissa Power, 401-454-1314
melissa.power@interprosepr.com