China Mobile's "Kyushu" computing power optical network introduces a number of cutting-edge technologies 400G high-speed transmission, and strives to achieve the world's first commercial deployment of backbone network within this year

Recently, China Mobile and industry partners released the "Kyushu" Computing Power Optical Network Target Network Architecture White Paper (hereinafter referred to as the "White Paper"), and jointly proposed a high-quality computing power optical network development initiative with the industry. This move is intended to implement the national strategy of "counting from east to west", build a leading advantage in the network quality industry, and highlight the responsibility of the industry chain leader.

The White Paper comprehensively expounds the overall concept and target architecture of China Mobile's computing power optical network from the dimensions of target vision, evolution path and key technologies, and shows the industry a new blueprint for China Mobile to promote industrial transformation and technological progress in the field of transmission networks, aiming to jointly promote the development of computing power optical networks with all parties in the industry, and ultimately achieve "omnipresence of networks, ubiquitous computing power, and omnipresence of intelligence".

Computing power optical network "six lights and six poles" vision

In view of the target network planning of the "Kyushu" computing power optical network, the white paper proposes that the computing power network is the core productivity of the information society and an important part of the country's new infrastructure. The "14th Five-Year Plan" information industry development plan and intelligent manufacturing development plan put forward the goals of deepening the development of the digital economy, inclusive sharing, and deep integration of various fields, which will accelerate the construction and deployment of computing power network information infrastructure.

In the era of computing power network, optical transport network, as a bridge connecting users, data, and computing power, needs to be deeply integrated with computing power. With computing as the core and light as the base, the advantages of optical transport networks can be fully leveraged, a new infrastructure of computing and optical integration can be formed, providing users with end-to-end differentiated optical connections with low latency, high reliability, and strong experience.

In order to better support the development of computing power networks, under the guidance of the optical transport network construction concept of "intelligent connection between efficient computing and ubiquitous and flexible computing", China Mobile proposed to build a "Kyushu" computing power optical network, through the optimization and coordination of the three networks of PON/FTTR, SPN/PTN and OTN networks, including architecture optimization, delay reduction, experience improvement, and operation and maintenance self-intelligence, to meet the new requirements of new computing power network services in terms of architecture, bandwidth, services, and latency, and lay a solid foundation for the development of computing power networks.

It is reported that the "Kyushu" computing power optical network, as an important foundation and all-optical base of the computing power network, is the key infrastructure for China Mobile to realize the new information service system of "connection + computing power + capability". To this end, China Mobile put forward the optical network target vision of "six lights and six poles", providing all-optical quality transmission and all-optical access for industrial digital transformation, digital intelligence of governments and enterprises, and digital consumption upgrading of households and individuals.

Specifically, the "six lights and six poles" includes six points: one is based on light to open up the polar connection with low latency, high stability and high reliability; The second is to use light as the medium to build an extremely wide transmission with large bandwidth, low cost and low energy consumption; The third is to use light as the anchor to promote ubiquitous, concise, fast and differentiated extremely wide access; The fourth is to take light as the core to deepen the extreme synergy of optoelectronics, solid migration, resources, and local ends; The fifth is light-oriented, introducing integrated intelligent management and control of functional atomization and task-based orchestration; Sixth, with light as the core, it provides Jixin guarantee with leading technology and stable supply.

In response to the above goals and visions, China Mobile also issued a six-point initiative, hoping that all sectors of the industry will continue to strengthen overall planning, technological innovation and industrial collaboration, and work together to build the "Kyushu" computing power optical network.

The first is to lay out cutting-edge technologies, promote 50G PON high-power lasers, high-sensitivity reception, high-performance oDSP chip technology and overall system verification, and appropriately advance the layout of long-term application scenarios. The second is to lead by innovative technology, strengthen SPN's technological innovation for 5G and computing power, and actively build SPN computing capabilities and space-ground integrated global networking. The third is to drive industry standards, tackle key fgOTN key technologies and standard specifications, and strive to complete the industry's first fgOTN prototype system verification in 2023. The fourth is to accelerate the maturity of the industry, promote the maturity of 400G QPSK technology and the improvement of the industrial chain, and strive to achieve the world's first commercial deployment of the backbone network by 2023. The fifth is to control the deployment rhythm, accelerate the Combo architecture application of FTTR+ and the standardization of optical layer OAM, and strive to achieve commercial use in batches in 2023 and 2024. Sixth, promote the transformation of achievements, deepen the application of SPN 2.0 technology in backbone networks and terminal access, and continuously upgrade the carrying capacity to help the development of industry private networks.

Promote the maturity of the 400G industry chain

In order to cooperate with the layout of computing power optical network, China Mobile will introduce a number of cutting-edge optical communication technologies. In the intelligent connection between computing parts, it took the lead in building a new all-optical network based on OXC, providing flat networking and one-hop direct connection for computing power network services, carrying out 400G OTN technology research on backbone transmission networks, clarifying QPSK as a backbone long-distance technical solution, verifying 1500km transmission based on G.652D fiber + EDFA amplification mode, and promoting the development of C6T+L6T industry, and actively deploying live network testing.

In the flexible computing part, he led the redefinition of the research scope, architecture and key technologies of fine-particle optical transport network (fgOTN, formerly known as G.OSU); Build SPN 2.0 network technology architecture; In the field of optical access, we will continue to promote 50G PON and FTTR technology innovation, standards and industry development, and comprehensively improve the bandwidth, latency, and gigabit coverage capabilities of optical access networks. In the field of 5G fronthaul, an open wavelength division multiplexing (Open-WDM) technology system and core technology are proposed to strongly support the large-scale deployment and commercial use of 5G fronthaul.

Regarding the overall planning of the computing power network, the white paper puts forward two optimization contents, namely architecture optimization and technology introduction. China Mobile proposed to continuously optimize the network architecture in accordance with the principle of "network with computing and movement", and build a hierarchical delay system by building a three-level delay circle architecture between hubs, provinces, and metro areas, so as to realize the experience of the same city in different places and drive the rapid growth of high-quality and high-value services.

At the same time, as the basic network of computing power network, it is necessary to realize a flat, large-bandwidth, low-latency all-optical transmission network architecture for computing power network, and build a "Kyushu" computing power optical network through key capabilities such as ultra-terabyte-level high-speed interconnection bandwidth, flexible scheduling, SRv6, computing and optical collaboration, dynamic perception, real-time response, and hierarchical services.

The reporter noted that with the gradual landing of the "Kyushu" computing power optical network, it will also drive the maturity of the 400G industry chain. Ding Hongqing, deputy general manager of China Mobile's planning and construction department, told reporters that the construction of 400G QPSK will be launched in the second half of this year, and it is expected that there will be commercial progress at the end of this year or the first quarter of next year, and laboratory equipment testing and other work are already underway. In addition, Ding Hongqing revealed that in terms of 50G PON technology, because the standard is not completely frozen, the current entire industrial chain is dominated by large-scale industrial scenarios, and the large-scale deployment of the real live network will be considered after the subsequent international standards are frozen. "From the perspective of time nodes, the commercial use of 50G PON will be later than 400G."

Li Han, director of the Basic Network Institute of China Mobile Research Institute, told reporters that whether for the Internet or telecommunications networks, optical networks assume the role of bandwidth "load-bearing walls", and 400G will become the artery of the "East Data and West Computing" computing power network. "At present, the overall strategy of the entire computing network has three main lines, one is for the construction of computing network infrastructure, the other is for innovation for service integration, and the third is for the leadership of innovative technologies, and 400G is an important part of the entire optical network infrastructure."

Zhang Bin, president of FiberHome Communication Network Output Line, believes that 400G OTN is a technology that can control optical fiber in the next 10 years. "The investment in 400G is very large, and I hope that all links in the industrial chain will think from the perspective of the benign development of the entire industry chain, requiring manufacturers to invest more R&D forces to overcome difficulties, and operators as chain leaders of the industrial chain to maintain and promote the leading industry; At the same time, China's 400G backbone network is moving very fast, with our large-scale application, first test and first use, we should increase the sharing and application of technology, and enhance the voice of the entire optical fiber communication manufacturers and Chinese communication equipment manufacturers in the global communication industry. ”