The push is on for a 400G Ethernet standard

In a story on the EE Times website, Ethernet Alliance chairman john D’Ambrosia stated he “just made the request for an official Call for Interest on 400-Gigabit Ethernet at the IEEE 802 Plenary in March.”

In the story, he reflects on the opposition he faced when proposing an effort to establish a higher-speed effort in 2006. “This time around,” he said, “everyone seems to understand that we have to do it.” He also noted that those working within the IEEE 802.3 Higher Speed Ethernet Consensus Ad Hoc committee generally agree that 400-Gbit is the appropriate next-generation speed. D’Ambrosia puts forth financial and practical arguments for the pursuit of 400G rather than Terabit Ethernet as the group’s next effort.

Additionally, he notes that while 40-Gbit Ethernet has received a relative cool reception from carriers, “analysts covering the data center market see 40GE making significant headway, and I would argue its attraction is its cost.”

You can read D’Ambrosia’s full story here; it includes his detailed argument in favor of 400G Ethernet over Terabit Ethernet as 802.3’s next project.