OFC 2019 to Showcase Optical Innovations in Data Center Networks for Key Business Areas

Data Center Summit, technical sessions, plenary speakers and exhibitor announcements will focus on data center network innovations 

SAN DIEGO — As data center traffic grows exponentially from cloud computing and applications including Artificial Intelligence (AI), data science and Internet of Things (IoT), the data center landscape is changing rapidly. 
 
OFC 2019, 3-7 March 2019 in San Diego, California, encompasses the entire ecosystem for data center networking and connectivity, addressing the needs of service and content providers as well as network operators, co-location and cloud providers from around the globe.
 
Optical innovations and optoelectronic integration enable high-speed and low-cost solutions for data center environments. OFC 2019 will feature the latest technological advancements that support the drive for increased efficiency in achieving an optimal user experience.  
 
“For the past several years, OFC has become an increasingly important show for the data center networking community,” said Alan Weckel, Founder and Technology Analyst at 650 Group. “Being the first major show of the year where vendors update their cloud and next-generation platform strategies, OFC helps set the stage for the rest of 2019. We expect to see many exciting vendor announcements at this year’s show.”
 
OFC 2019 will feature world-renowned speakers from top data center operators presenting on the latest networking architectures, leading technical experts reporting on advancements and hundreds of exhibitors demonstrating the latest innovations necessary to meet bandwidth demands. Organizers have aggregated the more than 60 technical and business sessions, workshops and short courses that offer content and training related to data center networks. A comprehensive schedule-at-a-glance is here.
 
“Optical technology remains a critical component of data center networks,” said Gabriella Bosco, Politecnico di Torino, Italy and OFC General Co-Chair. “Recent advances explore ways for these architectures to operate more cost-effectively, efficiently, and rapidly and the OFC program draws out emerging opportunities for operators, and content and service providers.”
 
Business-focused Sessions
This year’s Data Center Summit, Tuesday, 5 March, will feature a keynote from Dave Temkin, Vice President of Networks, Netflix, USA, who will discuss the evolution of content delivery. Another session will debate the adoption and main similarities and differences in open transport architectures for inter-data center, metro and long-haul optical networks, and review the most important related innovations that enable the “open” optical transport evolution.  
 
Three theaters on the show floor will feature technical and business presentations from industry organizations, including COBO, TIP, OpenConfig, Ethernet Alliance, OIF and more.
 
Exhibitors
Of the 700+ exhibiting companies at OFC 2019, more than 100 companies will showcase innovations in all levels of the infrastructure that impacts the network, including: transceivers, routers, switches and intra- and inter- data center equipment.
 
Additionally, several multivendor interoperability demonstrations will be featured on the show floor: OIF will demo Common Electrical I/O(CEI)-112G, FlexE (Flex Ethernet) and 400ZR; and Ethernet Alliance will demo 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE), 25GbE, 50GbE, 100GbE and 400GbE technologies and solutions. Other demonstrations include the Open ROADM MSA SDN and 100G Coherent Transceivers.
 
Technical Sessions
A variety of technical sessions will dig deeper into next-gen technologies such as switching, optical interconnects, coherent systems, direct detection, architecture, machine learning and more. Register here for OFC’s premier technical conference.
 
Training Courses in Data Center Optics
OFC short courses will provide training in data center optics. Topics range from “New Developments in High-speed Optical Networking: OTN beyond 100G, 100G/200G/400G Ethernet, Flex Ethernet” to “Inside and In Between Data Centers” to “High-capacity Data Center Interconnects” and “Photonic Technologies in the Data Center.”
 
ATTENDEE REGISTRATION: 
Attendees may register by visiting ofcconference.org. Admittance to the exhibit hall is free with Exhibits Pass Plus Registration. Learn more. 
 
MEDIA REGISTRATION: 
Media/analyst registration for OFC 2019 can be accessed online. Further information is available on the event website at OFC, including travel details.
 
About OFC
The Optical Fiber Conference and Exhibition (OFC) is the largest global conference and exhibition for optical communications and networking professionals. For more than 40 years, OFC has drawn attendees from all corners of the globe to meet and greet, teach and learn, make connections and move business forward.
 
OFC includes dynamic business programming, an exhibition of more than 700 companies, and high impact peer-reviewed research that, combined, showcase the trends and pulse of the entire optical networking and communications industry. OFC is managed by The Optical Society (OSA) and co-sponsored by OSA, the IEEE Communications Society (IEEE/ComSoc), and the IEEE Photonics Society. OFC 2019 will be held from 3-7 March 2019 at the San Diego Convention Center, California, USA. Follow @OFCConference, learn more OFC Community LinkedIn, and watch highlights OFC YouTube.