SONATAS: Synthetic On-Chip and Off-Chip Optical Network System

Optical network infrastructure has underpinned the Internet pervading everyone in some way and has stimulated relentless traffic growth. Current network infrastructure is made of stacked layers of function rigid systems. That includes optical switching nodes in conjunction with a set of transmission (i.e. 100Gbps and beyond) and transport (e.g. OTN) systems as well as Layer 2 switches, IP routers, to deliver end-to-end network infrastructure. Such networks are designed and optimised to deliver a fixed set of functionalities for the lifetime of their deployment. Recently there is a shift towards creating a more flexible control and transport by use of software defined network (SDN). SDN however introduces an inbuilt assumption that there is relatively dumb hardware for data switching and forwarding while having relatively intelligent software. This inherently restricts the flexibility of a network environment.

The vision behind this project is to introduce and investigate a radically new and groundbreaking approach to accommodate future infrastructure needs in a more agile, flexible, programmable and evolvable manner down to the hardware level. This will be delivered by open programmable hardware eco-system (photonic and electronic) where the software/hardware programmable devices can be synthesized on-demand to support any and as many function(s) and layers and be re-purposed during their lifetime. Software/Hardware network functions can be interconnected electronically and/or optically to compose and synthesize a system on demand. This is an original and disruptive concept and proposal that defines the Synthetic Node and Network system. It is expected to deliver a breakthrough on Internet and beyond.

The synthesis will consist of interconnection of electronic (e.g. FPGA processing blocks) and photonic (e.g. switching, elastic filtering, amplification, multicasting, etc.) function blocks to compose an fused on-chip off-chip system necessary to perform a particular function and deliver the associated network performance. Such approach eliminates the notion of dimensioning, deploying and provisioning applied on traditional networks designed with function rigid systems. The software-hardware function blocks can be also re-used on any future general-purpose programmable hardware (e.g FPGA/SoC) eliminating disruptive migration lifecycles. This also allows for network users (e.g. operators, service providers) to re-purpose the functions on their physical or virtual infrastructure on demand to suit the network service needs. This inherently redefines the system infrastructure and creates a new research field that fuses electronic and photonic programmability that opens up a new set of opportunities and challenges.

The project will first investigate the formulation of function block behaviour realised both in electronics (i.e. data queuing, framing, protocols) and photonics (i.e. filtering, multiplexing, frequency/space switching). Such function blocks will be interconnected by an network topology (on-chip and off-chip) through the use of synthesis algorithms to compose a complete system. To deliver efficient synthesis, the composition framework and algorithms will consider infrastructure constraints (FPGA timing/space, and optical sub-system characteristics). Techniques will be devised and investigated to deliver isolation between distinct network programmable functions that co-exist on the same opto-electronic hardware substrate.

The project provides direct contribution spanning across multiple EPSRC Priority Areas such as ICT networks and distributed systems as well as optical communications and micro-electronics design. Specifically it addresses the Towards an Intelligent Information Infrastructure (TI3) challenge. So it consequently fits with the EPSRC Working Together priority. It is this context that SONATAS is vital to the development of the future of information society.

SONATAS is focused on Internet technologies, one of the society's greatest economic drivers with impact across business, public and government sectors. It aims to migrate intelligence from control/management layers down to programmable photonic and electronic hardware that will allow for the first time the creation of a synthetic network infrastructure. Current function rigid Internet infrastructure hinders technology innovation and service creation. SONATAS proposed technology can support the increasing volumes, diversity and unpredictability of Internet traffic patterns while reducing power consumption and CO2 footprint.

The beneficiaries will be: All major communication stakeholders will benefit from the SONATAS results.
*Equipment manufacturers and vendors are facing the challenge of delivering not only scalable solutions to address rapid capacity growth but also deliver programmable and evolvable technologies. The results of SONATAS will be invaluable in designing the equipment of the future maximizing performance, flexibility and programmability by benefiting on the fusion of programmable photonic and electronic systems. The programmable and synthetic nature of the technology and overall framework proposed will diminish design lifecycle and allow for faster introduction of new hardware functions and technologies.

*Telecommunication operators and service providers: Infrastructure flexibility, efficiency, operational complexity, cost and evolution constitute some critical aspects of operators and service providers. They will be able to deploy hardware programmable systems can be synthesised to realise any function and layer on demand that will substantially reduce the complexity and cost of network operations and management. It will allow them to deploy network functions where and when needed alleviating frequent and disruptive procure-design-integrate-deploy cycles. Critically, the synthesised systems will be decoupled from vendor and platform programmable hardware systems that will allow for seamless evolution. Such technologies will enable new business models on delivering and utilizing infrastructure services.

*Creation of SMEs: SONATAS project will stimulate the generation of future business opportunities by creating a new sector of programmable Internet technologies. It will leverage on existing expertise of photonics and electronics that will establish UK leadership. This will allow the creation of a range of SMEs that can create revenues either through the development and licensing of software/hardware function modules or delivering complete hardware solutions. The resulting business opportunities will contribute to job creation and economic prosperity.

*Impact beyond ICT: The principles, concepts and techniques developed under the specific area of optical communication networks are directly transferable to other sectors within and beyond ICT that uses and benefits from intelligent hardware solutions. This includes but not limited to wireless, satellite, high performance computing, embedded and distributed systems, robotics, fundamental engineering, manufacturing, energy, automotive, health.

*Academic and research community: Future optical infrastructure and architecture is a key topic in the networking community. Relevant research activities indicate the importance of hardware flexibility and programmability. SONATAS can play a key role towards the realization of a new philosophy of placing network functions and layers where and when needed on a single hardware programmable and evolvable optical and electronic system. This inherently creates a new research field that will stimulate fundamental rethinking on the design and operation of systems and networks.

In collaboration with Xilinx and Polatis SONATAS will take advantage of existing expertise for the communication, protection and exploitation of the results.