Aqua Comms, a leading provider of global subsea connectivity services, has announced its first live commercial 400 Gbps Ethernet (GE) Trans-Atlantic service from London to New York for the Energy Sciences Network (ESnet). ESnet is a high-performance network built to support scientific research and is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Science and managed by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab).
ESnet serves as a “data circulatory system,” providing services to over 50 DOE research sites, including the entire National Laboratory system, its supercomputing facilities, and its major scientific instruments, as well as additional research and commercial networks. Through ESnet, DOE-funded scientists collaborate on some of the world’s most important scientific challenges, such as the origins of the universe and the future of energy and climate science.
The new 400GE Aqua Comms circuit replaces an existing 100GE New York–London circuit in ESnet’s network. According to Jon-Paul Herron, ESnet’s Department Head of Network Services, “100GE has been the standard for most Trans-Atlantic connectivity for several years. The new circuit increases our aggregate Trans-Atlantic bandwidth from 400 Gbps to 700 Gbps.”
This upgrade is part of ESnet’s preparations to meet the increasing demands for data from upcoming scientific needs, including the high-luminosity upgrades of CERN’s Large Hadron Collider and the related CERN Data Challenge ’24 (DC24) during the first quarter of next year.
The Aqua Comms network utilizes Ciena’s GeoMesh Extreme submarine network solution, powered by WaveLogic 5 Extreme coherent optics and Manage, Control and Plan (MCP) advanced software capabilities, to support customers’ ever-growing connectivity and bandwidth needs. Chris Bayly, CCO, Aqua Comms, said, “As supercomputing requirements continue to grow, we envisage 400Gb/s and the transition to spectrum services being more widely consumed by organizations such as ESnet to help accommodate an almost insatiable need for bandwidth.”
Thomas Soerensen, Senior Director, Global Submarine Sales, Ciena, commented, “With Ciena’s GeoMesh Extreme solution, Aqua Comms’ network has the scalability, intelligence, and efficiency to meet the digital demands of clients like ESnet. 400Gb/s capabilities provide a fourfold increase in capacity that’s ideal for high-bandwidth, ‘big science’ applications such as augmented/virtual reality, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence.”
Representatives from Aqua Comms and Ciena will be participating in the Submarine Networks EMEA 2023 event, taking place from May 31 to June 1 at the Business Design Centre in London. For more information, visit the event website.
