Cisco has achieved a remarkable transmission of 800Gbps across the Amitié transatlantic cable, which stretches over 6,234 kilometers from Boston, Massachusetts, to Bordeaux, France. This achievement marks a significant advancement in subsea network technology, driven by the burgeoning demand for enhanced cloud services and the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities.
The Amitié cable, distinguished by its use of Space Division Multiplexing (SDM) technology, incorporates 16 fiber pairs – surpassing the number found in traditional subsea cables. This technological innovation enables the sharing of repeater power across fiber pairs, optimizing the cable’s capacity to unprecedented levels.
During a real-time field trial that set new industry benchmarks, Cisco utilized Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) to achieve 800G transmission within a 150GHz channel spacing. This operation showcased a spectrum efficiency of 5.33bit/s/Hz, peaking at a maximum spectral efficiency of 5.6bit/s/Hz.
Additionally, the trial achieved a 600G transmission over a remarkable distance of 12,469 kilometers using a trans-Atlantic loopback configuration. According to Cisco, this marks the first-ever demonstration of a 140Gbaud single carrier signal in a live environment and establishing a record for the longest distance achieved at single carrier 600G DWDM transmission on an SDM cable.
Collaboration between Cisco and Microsoft
The Amitié cable system, which plays a crucial role in connecting the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, has now been integrated into Microsoft’s global network, enhancing the support for all Microsoft services. This collaboration between Cisco and Microsoft underscores the critical importance of reliable and swift network connections in the AI-driven age.
Bill Gartner, Cisco’s Senior Vice President of Optical Systems and Optics, highlighted the trial’s significance, stating that it represents a pivotal moment for SDM cables by demonstrating their potential to significantly boost overall network capacity over such distances.
Jamie Gaudette, General Manager of Cloud Network Engineering at Microsoft, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the trial’s role in showcasing what is now a commercial technology for subsea routes. The successful transmission not only signifies a leap forward in network capacity but also promises to catalyze digital transformation across various sectors globally.
The trial leveraged Cisco‘s NCS 1014 platform, powered by Acacia’s Coherent Interconnect Module 8 (CIM 8), which would feature the advanced Jannu digital signal processor and cutting-edge silicon photonics. Both products are currently on the market and are being actively deployed across multiple networks, heralding a new era of subsea communication that meets the escalating needs for higher performance and capacity in the digital domain.
