Secrets of successful network-edge AI optimization | Open Dialogue

For Tier 2 and 3 service providers, investing in the network edge is key to meeting demand for bandwidth and improving customer experience. Networks already carry vast amounts of traffic. But now that AI is becoming widely adopted throughout every industry, network operators must be ready for the next wave of data bandwidth growth.

Sharmila Arasu here from Fujitsu, for an open dialogue about how to ensure your network can give your customers the network capacity they need for emerging AI applications.

The rise of AI means rising data bandwidth demand for network operators

Given that AI modeling involves transferring and processing massive quantities of data, your network must be able to handle this additional workload. AI applications also leverage distributed computing, where multiple data centers or cloud regions work together via high-speed transfer among the geographic locations involved.

AI implementations need the right infrastructure

The important message is that the network-edge access and aggregation infrastructure must be in place to support your customers’ AI implementations. And there is more than one way to achieve this. The solution you choose depends on what’s already in the network—and your goals for expansion and growth.

More than one solution for meeting high-speed data demand

Multiple potential solutions are available for providing network infrastructure and capacity to support AI. Some service providers use high-speed GbE leased lines, but this is costly compared to other approaches, and it’s difficult to scale.

A lower TCO and more scalable alternative is combining packet-optical technologies such as the latest generation of routers, as well as open optics and WDM, with owned or leased dark fiber. This approach gives better control over how much and when to scale.

In general, the best approach is open and standards-based, which reduces and eventually eliminates vendor lock-in—and offers flexible options to replace bottleneck portions of the network instead of a wholesale change-out. Fujitsu employs this approach in our turnkey edge network solution.

This solution offers digital transformation by seamlessly blending advanced Layer 3 access and aggregation routers, Layer 2 VPN/EVPN technologies, high-speed open optics, WDM transport,

and SDN management.

Choose the option that best fits your goals and your customers’ demand

Fujitsu can offer options ranging from just replacing the network elements that are restricting capacity and throughput, to deploying a complete end-to-end solution.

For example, we support OcNOS white box routers for extreme performance, low power consumption, and high-density footprint—so you can right-size your access, aggregation, and medium-scale core networks. And Fujitsu is easier to work with when compared to the big router companies.

So, once we right-size the configuration using our open portfolio, we offer one simplified price for the solution, as opposed to individual per-license pricing for each function within the solution.

Complete edge networking solutions with simplified pricing

Our edge network solutions encompass design, engineering, deployment, and integration of the network and management system.