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Optica Executive Forum @ OFC March 16th 2026: Panel: Scale Across Session
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Network engineers, data center architects, and optical technology professionals interested in the future of large-scale data infrastructure.
TL;DR
This panel from the Optica Executive Forum discusses "scale across" in network infrastructure, exploring its definition, evolution from user-to-machine and machine-to-machine traffic to enabling gigawatt-scale clusters, and the optical solutions needed for longer reaches.
Key Takeaways
- The terms 'scale up,' 'scale out,' and 'scale across' sound similar but represent distinct network dynamics and challenges.
- Scale out is a mature optical networking trend already widely deployed, while scale up addresses the copper versus optical transition.
- Scale across, though recently defined, is becoming a core industry vernacular, yet its precise meaning remains subject to diverse interpretations.
- Meta's network evolution includes enabling gigawatt-scale clusters, requiring access to non-local data and driving new optical demands.
- The primary challenge for scale across involves accessing power across various geographies and data center domains, pushing beyond traditional short-reach optics.
- Meta's backbone network has evolved from user-to-data center traffic to machine-to-machine synchronization, and now to supporting massive distributed compute clusters.
- The demand for scale across is driving significant network capacity needs, even surpassing the requirements of the existing backbone network.
- While gray optics are considered for up to 10 km, their deployment for scale across can present substantial civil engineering challenges.
In This Video
- 00:00Optica Executive Forum Highlights
Introduction to the Optica Executive Forum at OFC, featuring seven sessions on scaling.
- 00:39Key Themes: Scale Up, Out, Across
The week's focus is on scaling strategies: up, out, and across, with 'scale across' being a key topic.
- 01:19Understanding 'Scale Across'
Different scaling terms have distinct dynamics. 'Scale across' is newer and still has some industry confusion.
- 02:04Panelist Perspectives on Scale Across
The panel features web-scale experts and platform providers to discuss 'scale across' from various angles.
- 02:51Defining Scale Across and Its Implications
Key questions include defining 'scale across', its difference from DCI, and its impact on future solutions.
- 04:05Jeff Rohn: Meta's Backbone Network
Jeff Rohn discusses Meta's global backbone network evolution and infrastructure needs for gigawatt-scale clusters.
- 06:07Network Evolution: User to Machine to Clusters
Meta's network evolved from user-to-data center to machine-to-machine synchronization, now enabling remote data access for large clusters.
Questions & Answers
What is the main topic of the Optica Executive Forum panel?
The main topic is 'Scale Across', exploring how different scales like scale up, scale out, and scale across are evolving in the industry and their implications for network development.
What are the three types of scaling discussed in the video?
The three types of scaling discussed are scale up (e.g., copper vs. optical), scale out (more mature in optics), and scale across (the focus of the panel).
Who are the speakers presenting from a web-scale perspective?
Jeff Rohn, Yawai, and Tad are the speakers presenting from a web-scale perspective, focusing on their deployment experiences.
What is Meta's role in the 'Scale Across' discussion?
Jeff Rohn from Meta discusses how their global backbone network is evolving to enable gigawatt-scale clusters and the need to access remote data.
How does 'Scale Across' differ from DCI?
The video aims to explore how 'Scale Across' differs from Data Center Interconnect (DCI) in terms of application, bandwidth demand, and future solution development.
What is the structure of the panel session?
Each speaker presents their material first, followed by a panel discussion where questions are held until after all presentations are complete.
Key Terms
- Scale Across — A term referring to the evolution of network scaling, enabling large-scale training and workloads with remote data access, including GPU-to-GPU and CPU-to-CPU traffic.
- Scale Up — A trend in network scaling that involves the shift from copper to optical technologies.
- Scale Out — A more mature scaling approach in the optics industry, focusing on expanding capacity through additional components or links.
- DCI — Data Center Interconnect, a familiar concept that the 'Scale Across' topic is being compared and contrasted with.