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OFC 2026

Angeles Convention Center – Los Angeles, CA
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OFC 2026

The Ethernet Alliance delivered a major live interoperability demonstration at OFC 2026 in Los Angeles, CA, underscoring Ethernet’s central role in enabling AI‑scale and terabit‑class networks. The exhibit highlighted Ethernet’s continued evolution to support AI workloads, hyperscale data centers, and emerging network architectures.

Interoperability demonstrations spanned Ethernet speeds from 100G to 1.6T, featuring advanced signaling, optics, switches, routers, interconnects, and extensive test and measurement solutions. A broad mix of copper and next‑generation optical interfaces illustrated practical, multi‑vendor collaboration across the ecosystem and reinforced Ethernet’s ability to scale performance, efficiency, and sustainability for next‑generation networks.

Read press release for details, refer to the 2026 Ethernet Roadmap page for the latest advancements across AI, cloud, and other key markets. For details on the interoperability and technology demonstrations please refer to our OFC demo diagrams.

Ethernet Alliance OFC Digital Materials:

Ethernet Alliance panel discussion:

Date/Location: Wednesday, March 18, 10:30 – 11:30 am PT in Theater II

Title: Ethernet’s Accelerating Evolution – Enabling the Expansion of AI

Description: The panel explored Ethernet’s evolution to address AI networks and provide insights into the latest progress of these industry efforts.

Many networking and computing industries are focused on the high-growth market opportunities driven by AI, and the Ethernet community is accelerating to ensure Ethernet’s future alignment with market needs and timing. As defined by IEEE 802.3, Ethernet is finalizing 200 Gb/s electrical and optical signaling specifications that will be used as the basis for 200 GbE, 400 GbE, 800 GbE, and 1.6 TbE. These new Ethernet solutions will enable the next generation of AI back-end scale-up and scale-out networks, as well as the traditional front-end Ethernet-based networks. For these networks, network architects are looking to progress to 400 Gb/s-based quickly interconnects in their networks. Recognizing this inevitable trend, IEEE 802.3 is already exploring 400 Gb/s signaling definition and is working towards meeting AI’s network requirements.

Moderator: John D’Ambrosia, Chief Evangelist for High-Speed Ethernet, Ethernet Alliance

Panelists:

  • Halil Cirit, AI Interconnect Architect, Meta
  • Sameh Boujelbene, Vice President, Dell’Oro Group
  • Mark Nowell, Cisco Fellow, Cisco
  • Kent Lusted, Distinguished Architect, Synopsys Inc.

Helpful resources:

OFC 2026 news coverage highlights:

About OFC 2026

OFC 2026 delivered a high‑impact week in Los Angeles, bringing together nearly 18,000 attendees from around the world for five days of technical exchange, industry announcements, and collaboration across the optical networking ecosystem. The event reinforced OFC’s role as the premier global meeting place for researchers, engineers, network operators, technology suppliers, and business leaders, with strong momentum driven by AI infrastructure, data center scale, and next‑generation network architectures. Major product launches, live demonstrations, and technical sessions highlighted how optical technologies are rapidly moving from innovation to real‑world deployment.

The sold‑out exhibition floor featured more than 700 exhibitors showcasing advances across optics, systems, and network solutions supporting cloud, AI, and high‑performance communications. With participants from over 90 countries and a robust program of technical presentations and show floor theaters, OFC 2026 underscored the central role of optical networking in enabling reliable, scalable, and interoperable AI‑era infrastructure, while reflecting strong industry engagement and continued global growth.

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