Major opportunities and challenges of 400G Ethernet

400G Ethernet is here. It is certified by the IEEE 802.3b standard. This new Ethernet technology ensures 400G data rates at Layer 2 and a transmission range higher than 100G. Ethernet can guarantee excellent performance up to 10 kilometers through single-mode fiber and up to 100 meters through multimode fiber. This technology has already affected some enterprise networks. Want to know how 400G Ethernet will reshape the future of data transmission and the common integration challenges users face? Read on to learn more.

The impact of 400G Ethernet on enterprise networks

400G Ethernet enables enterprises to plan for expansion, which means high traffic demand. The following tips will help to understand it better.

The increasing demand for bandwidth and the growing traffic are driving the adoption of 5G. This adoption of 5G will mean a significant increase in bandwidth. 400G enables enterprises to carry out small cell development, which is a requirement for 5G deployment.

High-performance computing has gained popularity in various industries. Its impact can be felt in retail, healthcare, oil and gas, and weather forecasting. Real-time data analytics is a major growth driver in these industries. This will accelerate the adoption of 400G Ethernet. The combination of 400G and high-performance computing will help players optimize their operational and financial efficiency.

Hyperscale data centers, or massive data centers, have gained popularity during COVID-19 to process large amounts of data. With e-commerce and online sales reaching their peak, businesses are challenged to invest in infrastructure that can support the rapidly growing data processing and storage needs. Enterprises investing in these hyperscale data centers are considering 400G Ethernet as it can help them easily meet complex data processing requirements.

400G Ethernet Deployment Challenges

Although 400G is considered a must-have for growing businesses, it also faces deployment challenges. The following tips will help to better understand it.

400G is certified by IEEE; however, 400G compatible devices vary from brand to brand. This requires dealing with many details such as design, manufacturing, specifications, etc. Although various tests conducted worldwide on the interoperability of devices have shown positive results, it still needs to be checked in real-world environments. This will help us understand how this technology performs in various enterprise networks. In addition, this will help understand the bottlenecks of implementation.

400G Ethernet infrastructure uses QSFP transceivers, which are typically designed for 40GbE. This introduces thermal issues that can cause optical distortion, packet loss, and fiber alignment challenges. Similar challenges are encountered when using new modules such as CFP8 and QSFP-DD. These transceivers must be tested for demanding environments before being deployed in 400G infrastructure.

400G uses pulse amplitude modulation (PAM-4) with four layers of optical signaling. However, earlier 100GbE used two-level signaling, known as binary non-return to zero, or NRZ. The four levels of decoding and encoding require the highest level of complexity, and PAM-4 is too sensitive to noise. Often, manufacturers find PAM-4 optical signaling too complex and challenging, making it difficult to achieve interoperability between devices.

Although these challenges may be further exacerbated, many enterprises are keen to embrace 400G Ethernet. Like any other network infrastructure, 400G must be supported by high-quality optical equipment and cables.