Future solutions for Tbit/s ethernet

Data Centre services have constituted themselves as the fastest growing part of the Internet today, resulting in a 7% CO2 emission growth rate per year. There is therefore a more and more evident strong need for developing new technologies that will enable higher bandwidths at lower energy consumption. Ethernet data links running at 10 Gbit/s, so called 10GbE, is becoming common in Data Centres, and there will soon be a need for links with much higher aggregate bandwidth, approaching Tbit/s. This coming generation of high-capacity links will also be needed to accommodate for telecom backbone networks, cloud computing services, wireless backhaul, supercomputing, video networks and many other applications. To embrace the future needs we need to address the challenges now, and explore possible routes leading to viable solutions for Tbit/s transmission of Ethernet data for future power efficient data centres. We will possibly need to design new network structures optimally taking advantage of new physical layer technologies, we will certainly need to develop new hardware and new switching techniques and components and be open-minded about which technologies and materials to consider in order to achieve the highest capacity-to-power ratio. We will also need to make new standards, new signaling methods, new test equipment, new cabling and connectors and generally embrace new power reduction approaches. This workshop will address the future challenges for terabit per second Ethernet, by gathering the following experts and outstanding researchers, who will come and shed light on their parts of the puzzle. The Workshop will address challenges ranging from the physical materials and devices over sub-systems / advanced systems including packet switching and multiplexing technologies to network planning and Data Centre requirements and urgent needs.