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Keysight Advances AI Networking with Ultra Ethernet LLR and CBFC Interoperability Demonstration at OFC 2026
Businesswire· 2026-03-16 15:00
Core Insights - Keysight Technologies has achieved the industry's first public interoperability demonstration of Ultra Ethernet Consortium (UEC) specification with Link Layer Retry (LLR) and Credit-Based Flow Control (CBFC) at a full 800GE line rate in collaboration with Broadcom [1][6] Group 1: Industry Context - Traditional Ethernet architectures are increasingly challenged by the demands of large AI clusters, necessitating next-generation link layer capabilities like LLR and CBFC to maintain network efficiency and performance [2] - The milestone underscores Keysight's expanding role in validating and assuring performance for AI scale-up and scale-out networks, where advanced Ethernet capabilities are essential for cluster efficiency and reliability [3] Group 2: Technical Details - The live demonstration showcased interoperability between Keysight's Interconnect and Network Performance Tester and Broadcom's Tomahawk Ultra Ethernet switch, both operating at a full 800GE line rate [4] - LLR facilitates local error recovery and reduces tail latency, while CBFC provides link layer flow control, both of which are critical for supporting large-scale AI workloads [4] Group 3: Collaborative Efforts - Keysight is a significant contributor within the UEC and is actively involved in the emerging Ethernet for Scale-Up Networking (ESUN) ecosystem, helping to define validation methodologies for advanced link layer capabilities [5] - The successful interoperability with Broadcom's Tomahawk Ultra Ethernet switch marks a crucial step toward establishing production-ready Ultra Ethernet infrastructure for AI-optimized networks [6] Group 4: Industry Statements - Broadcom's Vice President emphasized that high-performance Ethernet is the preferred technology for AI Networking, highlighting the importance of compliance and interoperability in creating an open ecosystem [7] - Keysight's Vice President noted that as AI clusters push network performance to new limits, technologies like Ultra Ethernet are becoming essential for next-generation fabrics, with a focus on validation and real-world deployment readiness [7]