Fujitsu targets data center interconnect with first 1FINITY optical transport platform

Fujitsu has unveiled a software-defined networking (SDN) and network functions virtualization (NFV) enabled disaggregated optical transport product philosophy it calls 1FINITY. The platform family will include a variety of IRU, self-contained systems that provide capabilities that traditionally have been integrated into chassis-based optical transport systems. The first member of the family, the 1FINITY T100, will target data center interconnect applications.

While the general trend in optical transport systems design has been to integrate a variety of functions – such as switching, DWDM, and access – into a single chassis, the advent of SDN and NFV and the flexibility such concepts enable now favor disaggregation, according to Jeff Babbitt, an principal solutions architect at Fujitsu. The company therefore has embarked on development of a family of platforms that can be mixed and matched within an SDN/NFV environment that offer small footprint and low power consumption. Open APIs and support of open standard protocols will enable programming and control individually and collectively. For operators more comfortable with dealing with chassis-based management, Fujitsu also will offer a aggregator/edge controller platform that will enable the individual blade-based systems to interface with a network management system as a chassis.

The initial platform release comprises four product families: transport, lambda, switch, and access. The first product out of the chute is the 1FINITY T100 blade, aimed at metro data center interconnect applications. A fully configured T100 will feature four 200-Gbps CFP2 Acoustic Coherent Optics (ACO) interfaces on the line side and eight 100-Gbps QSFP28s on the client side, Babbitt says. However, users can opt to configure the system with half this capacity initially to save initial installation costs.

The system will feature power consumption of 0.8 W/Gbit, Babbitt says. It is slated to begin trials with "a West Coast data center company" shortly, he adds. General availability is scheduled for this December.

Meanwhile, announcements of other members of the 1FINITY family, covering wavelength services, extended-reach transport, high-density packet switching, access, and multilayer interoperation with Fujitsu’s FLASHWAVE 9500 platform, should begin soon.

The initiative received kudos from Ron Kline, principal analyst at market research and analysis firm Ovum. "The concept of disaggregation has been commonplace in the server world for years, but functional disaggregation in the optical networking world is a radical change," said Kline via Fujitsu’s press release. "By evolving its portfolio to a more open ecosystem of components that will deliver customized offerings, Fujitsu is fostering a collaborative development approach to lead the industry down a path to open, agile solutions. The 1FINITY platform, combined with an SDN controller and orchestration system from Fujitsu or another vendor, provides a disruptive answer to network operators seeking competitive advantages."

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