Berkeley Lab and Internet2 consortium launch world's fastest network

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Internet2 consortium plan to build a blistering fast network for the Energy Department that can transmit data at the rate of 100 gigabits per second to support scientific research.

The new network operates at such a high speed that it could transmit the entire printed holdings of the Library of Congress (approximately 12.5 terabytes of data) in roughly 23 seconds, explained Ryan Bass, spokesman for Internet2, a consortium of 300 universities, corporations and federal agencies formed in 1996 to develop and deploy revolutionary Internet technologies. Rob Vietzke, Internet2 executive director of network services, said that as far as he knows the 100-gigabits-per-second network,slated to beginoperation by the end of the year,will be the fastest in the world. The high-speed network will use 88 fiber strands on a national network operated by Level 3 Communications, with each of those strands capable of 100-gigabits-per-second speed, Vietzke said, with Ciena Corp. providing its 6500 optical platform for endpoint connections. The total throughput of the new network maxes out at 4.4 terabits per second, Vietzke said, adding that endpoint gear to handle terabit data flows are still in the experimental stage.