Keysight releases benchtop system for AI and data centres

Demand for optical interconnects (optics and fibre cables) and the 800GE Ethernet interconnects required to build AI, ML, and HPC network infrastructure is dramatically increasing, with Grand View Research forecasting a compound annual growth rate of 12.6% for the DCI market until 2030.

To support this growth, data centre providers are focused on latency, throughput, streamlining operations, intelligence, and security. Testing is critical for manufacturers and the end-users of silicon chips, optical transceivers, cables, and network equipment, who must trust the products they receive have been stress tested in a real-world environment that realistically simulates how they will operate in their actual network.

The Interconnect and Network Performance Tester 800GE Benchtop delivers new capabilities in a quiet, portable, energy-efficient platform that addresses the unique test requirements of manufacturers of network equipment (NEMs), silicon chips (ASIC), optics, and cables, as well as cloud service providers, and data centre operators. 

Key benefits of the Interconnect and Network Performance Tester 800GE Benchtop include:

Quiet, portable, and energy-efficient operation: the benchtop unit is lightweight and portable with a small footprint. The built-in handle enables easy movement within the lab or to another lab. Manufacturers can also transport the system to events or customer sites to demonstrate how their products are being tested, which is not possible with existing difficult-to-move rackmount test systems. With "office quiet" operation, the audible noise specification is only 60 decibels (dBA). The unit supports high-power consumption optical receivers up to 30 watts. 

Increase test coverage: the multi-user, multi-port, multi-speed platform, available in a two-port and a four-port model allows operators to run more tests simultaneously with two, three, or four users per chassis. Parallel testing optimises resource utilisation and test case throughput and minimises testing time by covering a wider range of scenarios and configurations to identify bottlenecks and scalability issues. 

Enhance visibility: Keysight's IxExplorer software is included with the Interconnect and Network Performance Tester 800GE Benchtop chassis and provides an easy-to-use graphical interface to manage the hardware. The intuitive and user-friendly GUI can run on the benchtop itself by connecting a monitor, keyboard, and mouse – or connecting a computer to a test network for remote operation by multiple simultaneous users.

Emulate realistic network traffic: by utilising IxNetwork software with the benchtop hardware platform, operators can simulate authentic, real-world network traffic and control plane protocols. This provides end-to-end test system automation to benchmark performance and scale of layer two and layer three network devices and network protocols.

Accelerate AI training time: the platform leverages the validation and design capabilities of Keysight's AI data centre solutions. This accelerates AI training completion time and reduces costs by emulating high-scale workloads, providing insights into collective communication performance, executing defined behavioural models, enabling flexible 'what-if' scenario testing, and offering pre-packaged applications to further simplify the benchmarking process.

Ram Periakaruppan, Vice President and General Manager, Network Test & Security Solutions, Keysight, said: "The rapid growth in AI and HPC infrastructures is driving an unprecedented need for innovative testing solutions and Keysight's mission is to champion these efforts. Our new 800GE benchtop system represents a significant leap forward in enabling the industry to validate and deploy the next generation of high-speed networks with confidence."

Data sheet: Interconnect and Network Performance Tester 800GE Benchtop