Addressing Hyperscalers' Requirements with Ethernet 800G

Cloud computing, IoT (Internet of Things), machine learning, big data, and data centers are a few of those buzzwords levitating around digital transformation in recent years and we are quite familiar with these terms. These technologies have much of a demand for things like excessive speed, higher bandwidth, scalability, and accelerated processing power.  

Hyperscale computing provides an intelligible method of processing data and scalable bandwidth depending on data traffic. With the proliferation of internet users, cloud domination, HD streaming, and virtual platforms, hyperscale computing has become mandatory to build a robust and scalable cloud, big data, map-reduce, or distributed storage system. 

Ethernet protocol is the backbone of data connectivity and the internet. Ethernet protocol has multiple offerings to hyperscalers like 200G/400G/800G ethernet. These variants deliver higher and scalable bandwidth with coherent connectivity in long distances.  

Ethernet Technology Consortium pushes the standard for delivering 800 Gb/sec Ethernet devices and it builds upon the existing IEEE 802.3bs standard for 400 Gb/sec Ethernet. 800GBASE-R reuses the 400GE logic to save cost as much as possible. The 800G Spec has two 400G Pcs units with modified FEC (Forward Error Correction) to get eight lanes running at an effective 100 Gb/sec to get to 800 Gb/sec per port. 800G specification uses RS-FEC (544,514) and a PAM4 modulation scheme. It uses multi-lane distribution (MLD) to distribute data from a single Media Access Control (MAC) channel across 2x16 PCS (Physical Coding Sublayer) lanes. We are also anticipating a single PCS 800G specification to be released by Ethernet Technology Consortium.  

With the availability of the Cadence Verification IP for Ethernet up to 800G, adopters can start working with these specifications immediately, ensuring compliance with the standard and achieving the fastest path to IP and SoC verification closure. Incorporating the latest protocol updates, the mature and comprehensive Cadence® Verification IP (VIP) for the Ethernet 800G protocol provides a complete bus functional model (BFM), integrated automatic protocol checks, and coverage model. More details are available in the Ethernet Verification IP portfolio.