With the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, data centers are facing unprecedented computing and networking pressures. From large language model (LLLLM) training to generative AI applications, the massive data processing demands have driven a rapid increase in network bandwidth. In this context, 800G networking technology has emerged as a core driving force for the next generation of AI data centers.
The two major data centers of the AI era: AI factories and AI clouds.
AI Factories: Used for large-scale model training and inference, such as GPT-4 and image generation models. These data centers rely on thousands or even tens of thousands of GPU clusters for high-performance computing, placing extremely high demands on bandwidth, latency, and data exchange efficiency.
AI Clouds: Cloud platforms centered around generative AI, providing inference services in a multi-tenant environment. These data centers require networks with high bandwidth, stability, and performance isolation capabilities to ensure that different user tasks do not interfere with each other.
Distributed computing has become the mainstream approach for AI training, accelerating model training by distributing workloads across multiple GPU nodes for parallel processing. This places three core demands on data center network architecture:
Ultra-low latency and high bandwidth: Ensuring efficient transmission of large-scale data.
Intelligent traffic scheduling: Employing adaptive routing and load balancing techniques to reduce network congestion.
Performance isolation and stability: Guaranteeing bandwidth allocation in a multi-tenant environment to prevent performance degradation.
In AI factories, InfiniBand network technology has become the mainstream choice for large-scale model training due to its ultra-low latency and high bandwidth. Its advantages include:
Network computing offloading: InfiniBand processes some computing operations at the network layer, effectively reducing the load on GPUs.
Adaptive routing and congestion control: Enables efficient traffic distribution and prevents link bottlenecks.
Deterministic bandwidth and low latency: Ensures the stability of large-scale AI operations.
In AI cloud platforms, Ethernet still plays a crucial role due to its versatility and scalability. To meet the demands of AI, modern Ethernet employs the following optimization techniques:
RoCE (RDMA over Converged Ethernet): Reduces data transmission latency.
Adaptive traffic management: Dynamically selects congestion-free paths to improve data transmission efficiency.
Multi-tenant performance isolation: Ensures fair bandwidth allocation between different user tasks.
To meet the bandwidth demands of AI and large-scale data centers, UnitekFiber has launched an 800G transceiver solution to help data centers achieve high-speed interconnection and efficient computing.
Speed Enhancement
UnitekFiber’ 800G optical transceivers utilize QSFP-DD and OSFP packaging schemes based on PAM4 (four-level pulse amplitude modulation) technology, achieving a data rate of 100Gbps per channel and an overall rate of up to 800Gbps. This means faster data transfer rates between servers during AI model training, significantly improving training efficiency. Compared to NRZ, PAM4 can carry twice the amount of data within the same frequency range, thereby increasing network throughput.
High Reliability And Low Latency
UnitekFiber’ 800G optical transceivers feature ultra-low power consumption and high signal integrity, helping to reduce energy consumption in data centers while ensuring low latency and high reliability of data transmission.
Flexible Scalability And Compatibility
UnitekFiber’ 800G fiber optic transceivers offer flexible interconnectivity and are compatible with existing 400G and 100G equipment, facilitating a smooth upgrade to higher bandwidth in data centers and protecting existing investments.
The AI era places higher demands on data center networks in terms of bandwidth, low latency, and scalability. UnitekFiber, as a trusted provider of information and communication technology products and solutions, offers highly reliable 800G fiber transceivers and solutions, providing high-performance, low-latency, and scalable network support for AI factories and AI cloud platforms. In the future, as the scale of AI computing continues to expand, UnitekFiber will continue to optimize its 800G network solutions, paving the way for the next generation of 1.6T data centers and helping data centers meet the challenges of a higher-performance, more intelligent era.
