Zayo and Equinix complete 400G data centre trial
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Zayo and Equinix complete 400G data centre trial

Colocation data centre NEW.jpeg

Zayo Group Holdings and Equinix have completed a 400Gbps (400G) trial, connecting data centres in London and Paris using Zayo’s subsea fibre network.

The trial took place in Q1 2022 for which Zayo deployed a 500G optical channel on its 800G-enabled, DWDM network. The company used the additional bandwidth to deploy an extra 100G wave for enhanced monitoring capabilities and the connection was able to withstand full-load testing without any traffic loss.

“As the first global data centre platform to trial 400G, we see tremendous potential in how it will help power our next generation of services,” said Muhammad Durrani, senior director of global network architecture, Equinix.

“Our success in this trial is about more than faster speeds; it’s about the outcomes it will enable for our customers, such as achieving the low-latency requirements of critical devices transforming everything from transportation to healthcare.”

In addition, the new 400G technology reduced hardware from four separate 100G optical cards to one 400G card, which in turn created a simple application with fewer reducing the potential points of failure.

Additionally, Equinix was able to streamline operations by having fewer circuits to manage and operate its network while reducing costs. While Zayo was able to reduce power consumption per gigabit by 40% compared to prior generation hardware.

“At Zayo, not only are we focused on our customers’ connectivity needs today, we are preparing for their speed, latency, and capacity needs of tomorrow while simultaneously driving efficiencies and simplifying the overall network design,” said Yannick Leboyer, COO of Zayo Europe.

“Equinix is sitting at the epicentre of several trends that are reshaping the industry – from digital transformation and big data to IoT and AI. Together, we’re future-proofing the ecosystem to help companies grow and innovate.”

Only last year, Capacityspoke to Leboyer about Zayo's newest subsea cable project, Zeus connecting the all-important UK to Europe route.

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