Keeping Ethernet Moving Forward: Q2 2026 Highlights
By: David J. Rodgers
It’s hard to believe how quickly the year is flying by. Soon, the leaves will begin to turn, kids will return to school, and another busy conference season will be underway. Before we say goodbye to the dog days of summer, let’s look back at what we and the Ethernet community accomplished together during Q2 2026.
Reflections on OFC 2026
OFC may be over, but the conversations it sparked continue.
In OFC 2026: The Tech Leads’ Perspective, Tech Leads Tim Crawley and Keith Cole of VeEX, Keysight’s Vijay Murthy, and Dave Estes of VIAVI offer a behind-the-scenes look at this year’s interoperability demonstration. This team Q&A dives into AI-scale networking, ecosystem collaboration, lessons learned, and the technologies that helped define another standout OFC.
In Defining the Path to 400 Gbps-per-Lane Ethernet Signaling, Synopsys’ Kent Lusted looks ahead to the next chapter of Ethernet evolution. From IEEE’s newly announced study group to the engineering challenges still ahead, he explores why continued industry collaboration will be key to advancing 400Gbps-per-lane signaling.
Together, these two perspectives show that while OFC may be behind us, the ideas that emerged there continue to move Ethernet forward
Setting the Course for 2026–2027
Looking ahead was the focus of the Ethernet Alliance’s recent 2026–2027 Strategic Direction Meeting. Along with outlining strategic priorities for the coming year, it offered an early look at upcoming initiatives and events that will bring the community together throughout the remainder of 2026. Some of the key events already on the calendar include:
- August Pathfinding Test Event, August 31–September 3, 2026 at Keysight Technologies, Santa Clara, CA, USA
- IEEE 802 Hybrid Interim Session, September 14–17, 2026 Lisbon Marriott, Lisbon, Portugal
- ECOC Exhibition 2026, September 21–23, 2026, Trade Fairs and Congress Center (FYCMA), Malaga, Spain
- Technology Exploration Forum (TEF) 2026: The AI Future — Ethernet, October 7–8, 2026, Hyatt Centric, Mountain View, CA, USA
- High Speed Ethernet (HSN) Plugfest, December 7–10, 2026, West Coast, USA
Whether you’re interested in standards development, interoperability, or the future of Ethernet, there’s plenty to look forward to in the months ahead.
TEF 2026: Exploring the AI Future
Save the date! The highly anticipated Ethernet Alliance’s Technology Exploration Forum (TEF) returns October 7–8, 2026, at the Hyatt Centric in Mountain View, CA.
This year’s theme, The AI Future: Ethernet, will bring together industry experts to explore the technologies and engineering challenges shaping the future of AI networking. Sessions will cover topics ranging from AI market trends and forward error correction (FEC) to cooling strategies, latency requirements, and other key considerations for next-generation Ethernet.
Registration opens soon and space is limited, so follow us on LinkedIn for updates. And if your organization is interested in sponsoring TEF 2026, a variety of sponsorship opportunities are also available. See you this October!
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