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The rapid adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and cloud services, coupled with the new emerging high-capacity use cases, such as ultra-high-definition video streaming, telemedicine, Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Gaming, are placing unprecedented demands on networks.
The recent Huawei Optical Summit, themed “No Fiber, No AI: All Optical Networks Power AI for All Industries,” highlighted the growing relevance of high-capacity optical networks for different industry verticals to address the growing capacity and performance requirements. The summit shed light on global advancements in optical networks and their central role in driving digital transformation across various industries.
Marcus Brunner, Vice-Chair of ETSI ISG F5G
“Digitalization, cloudification and AI-fication of applications are the key drivers of F5G Advanced (F5G-A) standards. Key features of F5G-A include isolation and separation of traffic, fibre sensing, AI-based optimization of the networks and AI-based data center networking, which enable a high-speed, ultra-reliable network and accurate sensing,” said Marcus Brunner, Vice-Chair of ETSI ISG F5G.
The use of F5G-A is crucial to address the growing AI workloads, which will also help in bringing down the energy consumption. He also highlighted several emerging industrial use cases of F5G-A, such as intelligent power grid, urban rail, robotics as a service, smart sensor cloud for AI in industrial manufacturing, Wi-Fi 7 coordination for large campus networks and smart hospitals, among others.
Kim Jin, Vice President of Huawei Optical Business Product Line
“Optical networks are now moving beyond the data center interconnect, extending into industrial sites and campuses. By enhancing and empowering computing with fiber, these advanced networks are vital to making the benefits of AI accessible and inclusive for different industries,” said Kim Jin, Vice President of Huawei Optical Business Product Line. He mentioned that over 2,000 enterprises across the globe have deployed AI applications based on all-optical networks this year, making it imperative to use all-optical networks for the rising use of AI applications.
Huawei also released ten global all-optical network showcases, covering the government sector as well as industries such as electric power, transportation, education, healthcare, manufacturing, ISP, and hospitality.
Spotlight on finance sector: Release of Whitepaper
The Summit saw the release of a White Paper on Innovative Applications of Financial Optical Network Devices, by Huawei and Beijing National Institute of Financial Standardization. “Optical networks are gaining prominence in the financial industry as they are crucial to address three key challenges: a sharp increase in network load, growing security and compliance pressure and limitations of the traditional network architecture,” mentioned Han Zhuwu, director of Beijing National Institute of Financial Standardization.
Advanced optical networks are designed to provide extremely high capacity, ultra-low latency and unprecedented reliability. This ensures seamless data transfer between headquarters and branch offices, ensuring service continuity. In addition, optical networks can also be integrated into security systems to improve the security and intelligence capability of financial infrastructure.
Apart from the finance industry, the Summit also highlighted how other industries, including utility, transportation and medicine, are benefiting from high-performing optical networks. For instance, the utility distribution companies are under pressure to ensure more efficient business operations to reduce losses and provide greater transparent information systems for stakeholders and consumers.
“Fine Grain Optic Transportation Network or fgOTN is emerging as a solution of choice for utility providers as it integrates with the existing services and provides extreme reliability as well as bandwidth for AI-powered services,” said Marcio Szechtman, Past Technical Council Chair of CIGRE.
New-age Optical networks are also extremely relevant for medicine and smart cities. The growing usage as well as the increasing number of connected devices, is placing new demands on the networks.
“Huawei’s F5G-A FTTO campus solution has transformed our Pudong campus by enabling us to provide a smart teaching solution to our students. On the other hand, it is helping us to foster and accelerate research and innovation in our campus,” said Lu Qin, Director of the Network Information Center at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine.
Huawei’s FTTO solution is designed to meet the requirements of local AI applications, Internet of Things (IoT) and ultra-HD video services. Deployed in over 10,000 campuses in more than 60 countries, FTTO is helping organizations build green, simple but smart campus networks.
In Conclusion
The Huawei Optical Summit underscored a central message that all-optical networks are no longer just about faster connectivity, but they are the foundation for AI-driven industries. From finance and utilities to healthcare, education and smart cities, optical networks are emerging as a critical enabler of next-generation digital services. As AI workload grows, industries that invest in advanced optical infrastructure will be better positioned to lead in the digital economy of the future. Without the foundation of robust all-optical networks, the promise of AI and digital transformation cannot be fully realized.