Ethernet Alliance TEF 2025 – Ethernet for AI
Over the past couple of years, the future of AI networks has been the major focus of industry discussion. While some analysts are saying Ethernet will win the lion’s share of the over 50 million AI / ML ports to be shipping in 2029 for AI back-end networks, the Ethernet community is not resting on its laurels. And while such volumes will drive competition within the Ethernet community, technologies competing with Ethernet will unite it.
The Ethernet Alliance, the Voice of Ethernet, initiated discussions in 2024 within the Ethernet community about the future of 400 Gb/s electrical and optical signaling, the enablers of future AI networks. The 2024 Technology Exploration Forum (TEF) – “Ethernet in the Age of AI” kicked off a year-long series of industry workshops and meetings focused on Ethernet’s evolution to 400 Gb/s signaling and AI networks. Earlier this year, the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet Working Group even kicked off its New Ethernet Applications (NEA) activity – “Ethernet for AI Assessment”, to start exploring various aspects of these issues.
The industry is digesting this year-long exploration of 400 Gb/s optical and electrical signaling and AI networks. Presentations have addressed various modulation and encoding challenges, the electrical channels that will be considered, and the various requirements of the back-end and front-end networks. The IEEE 802.3 Ethernet for AI Assessment, midway through its endeavor, reviewed summaries of its initial efforts, and discussed two potential future efforts – one on 400 Gb/s electrical and optical signaling and the other on 3.2 TbE.
Following up on this year-long endeavor, the Ethernet Alliance will be hosting TEF 2025 – Ethernet for AI. The two-day event will be held on December 2 – 3, 2025 at the Hyatt Centric in Mountain View, CA, and the timing could not be more perfect.
The TEF is a perfect forum for industry discussion and industry consensus building, which will always benefit new efforts initiated in IEEE 802.3. With such a wealth of topics to explore, TEF 2025 will provide a timely forum for the Ethernet community to hear presentations that could provide guidance and be leveraged in the launch of any new efforts. The TEF Call for Presentations included a whole swarth of issues including:
- Overview of AI Networks
- AI Network Topology Architectures
- The Need for 3.2Tb/s Ethernet
- The Consequences of the Physical Layer on the AI Network Stack
- Future Requirements of Network Equipment Targeting AI Use Cases
- Future Requirements of Compute Equipment Targeting AI Use Cases
- AI Networks Market Forecast
- Advanced Electrical Approaches for 400Gb/s Signaling
- Developments in Copper Interconnect/Packaging Targeting 400Gb/s
- FEC/Coding Approaches
- Advanced Optical Approaches Targeting 400Gb/s Signaling
- Developments in Optical Interconnect/Packaging Targeting 400Gb/s
- Latency requirements of AI Networks
- Power & Cooling Considerations
- Testing & Methodologies
- Ethernet Metadata Services for AI
If you are interested in submitting a presentation proposal, the deadline is September 12, 2025.
Please visit https://ethernetalliance.org/tef-2025-ethernet-for-ai/ for more information. I am looking forward to this event, and another step in the evolution of Ethernet.
