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Tag: NetherLight

  • Lessons from APAN61 in Dhaka

    Lessons from APAN61 in Dhaka

    Last week, Alexander and I traveled to Dhaka, Bangladesh, for APAN61 (APAN stands for Asia-Pacific Advanced Network). These types of conferences are often viewed from a technical standards and backbone capacity perspective, but our time in Dhaka proved that the most critical infrastructure we build isn’t made of fiber—it’s made of people.

    A Federated Foundation for Global Science

    I was invited by APAN to deliver a keynote titled “Staying Connected: A Federated, Open Foundation for Global Research & Education Collaboration.” Giving a keynote was exciting for me – in a good way – and a personal milestone. But the real value lay in the message: how we, as a global community, can ensure that research and education aren’t siloed by geography, geopolitics, or other obstacles. For that purpose, addressing both the why and the how of the need for a federated global infrastructure. And it was a reminder that our work within NRENs (both at SURF and abroad) feeds into a much larger, global engine of collaboration and progress for Science & Education. 

    Besides the keynote, I also gave an additional presentation representing SURF in a Special Interest Group (SIG) on Science Engagement. At SURF, we often talk about science engagement and how to improve our efforts in that respect but seeing it in practice and discussing with other NRENs how they do it during APAN was very stimulating and useful. 

    Specific Takeaways from the Field

    Beyond the podium, four specific observations stood out to me:

    • Infrastructure in Practice: The Bangladesh Research & Education Network (BdREN) has successfully implemented eduroam in all national airports. Coming from the Netherlands, seeing this level of user-focused service in action was impressive. It’s a standard of accessibility we should all be aiming for. Schiphol & Nationale Spoorwegen, bring it on! 
    • High-Level Science Engagement: I spent time with researchers in oncology and molecular biology. The sophistication of their work is a clear signal: they are driving serious scientific inquiry that requires the kind of international research network connectivity we provide. 
    • Logistical Excellence: Organizing a conference of this scale in a city as complex as Dhaka—a metropolis of over 25 million people—is a massive undertaking. To put it in perspective: the population density there is nearly ten times that of Amsterdam. Moving dozens of international guests through that kind of environment requires serious planning. The hospitality and flawless execution by the BdREN team really showcased the professionalism and dedication of our partner NRENs in the region.
    • The “8th Layer” of the OSI Model: Some of you know that when it comes to networking, I’m a Layer 0-3 kinda girl—they don’t call me the “Dark Fiber Lady” for nothing —but this week was all about the human 8th layer. Whether it was reconnecting with old friends & partners, establishing new partnerships & perspectives on future collaboration, or learning about local history like the Shaheed Minar, these face-to-face meetings are what make the global R&E collaboration possible.

    Looking Ahead

    Collaborating with the Asia-Pacific region isn’t just a “nice-to-have” for SURF; it is essential for a functional and resilient global research ecosystem. We’re bringing back more than just notes—we’re bringing back renewed partnerships, connectivity to enable global research opportunities for our SURF members, and a fresh perspective on what it means to be a partner in this international community.

    A special thanks to Mohammad Tawrit and the entire BdREN team for their hospitality and for showing us the future of R&E in Asia.

    With Oncologists & Molecular Biologists in Dhaka

  • Highlights from Internet2 TechEx 2025

    Highlights from Internet2 TechEx 2025

    At Internet2 TechEx 2025, global developments in research and education (R&E) network infrastructure were high on the agenda. In a well-attended update, Brenna Meade (International Networks, Indiana University) shared an overview of key steps being taken worldwide to scale capacity, resilience, and automation in federated network services.

    Major capacity upgrades, including transoceanic links

    Meade outlined a broad range of ongoing and planned upgrades across international backbone and exchange infrastructures. This included new 400 Gbps transoceanic links—critical for data-intensive research and collaboration across continents. She also highlighted activity and continued evolution across multiple Global Exchange Points (GXPs), including FUJI-XP, SOE, GOREX, MANLAN, MOXY, NetherLight, and Pacific Wave. Together, these hubs form an important foundation for high-performance global connectivity between R&E networks.

    NSI reaches production readiness

    A key milestone highlighted in the session: NSI (Network Service Interface) has reached production readiness. NSI enables interoperable, automated service provisioning across network domains. In practice, this supports standardized ways for organizations and networks to request, set up, and manage end-to-end services across multiple administrative boundaries.

    For NRENs, this aligns closely with the push toward scalable, federated connectivity: less manual coordination, faster delivery of services, and more reusable interfaces and operational agreements between domains. Reaching production readiness is therefore a concrete step toward more automated and dependable international network service ecosystems.

    Technology—and the community behind it

    Beyond the technical program, TechEx continues to stand out as a strong community meeting point. Informal conversations between sessions, sharing experiences across very different operating contexts, and social traditions such as the 5K fun run all reinforce the trust and relationships that are essential to building and operating resilient infrastructure.

    In summary: TechEx 2025 underscored how global R&E networks are moving forward on both capacity and automation—with NSI marking a notable step toward interoperable, federated service delivery.

    Screenshot
  • SURF at the 6th Global Research Platform: Building the Future of International Research Networking

    SURF at the 6th Global Research Platform: Building the Future of International Research Networking

    Chicago, September – At the 6th Global Research Platform (GRP), SURF joined peers from around the world to share progress, exchange insights, and strengthen collaboration in global research networking.

    In my presentation, I highlighted SURF’s next steps:

    • Updates on SURFnet Infinity and NetherLight
    • Terabit trials with CERN and the LUMI supercomputer
    • Explorations in quantum-secure networking and fiber sensing

    A recurring theme at GRP was the importance of the federated approach: each NREN serves its own members, but together we form a global infrastructure that supports research at scale. This balance of local autonomy and international collaboration is vital to the community’s success.

    Many thanks to Joe Mambretti, Maxine Brown, and the GRP community for fostering an open, collaborative environment. SURF looks forward to continuing this work and helping shape the future of international research & education networking.

  • SURF and Nikhef complete test with Ciena’s WaveLogic technology showing multiple 1 Terabit paths for scientific research between Amsterdam and Geneva

    SURF and Nikhef complete test with Ciena’s WaveLogic technology showing multiple 1 Terabit paths for scientific research between Amsterdam and Geneva

    SURF, Nikhef and Ciena have successfully tested multiple 1 Tbps paths over fiber between SURF and Nikhef in Amsterdam and CERN in Geneva. The test, powered by Ciena’s WaveLogic 6 Extreme, shows that technological innovations can significantly improve the bandwidth of existing infrastructure.

    A similar development was seen earlier in connections over copper. Where initially only 2,4 kilobits per second was achievable over a classical phone connection, enhanced coding techniques brought this to 50 megabits (VDSL) per second over the same infrastructure. We are seeing the same trend in fiber technology.

    For SURF, this increase in capacity is of great importance. The scientists that SURF supports are able to measure ever more accurately, which leads to explosive growth in the amount of measurement data that SURF has to transport. An example of this is the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, which will be upgraded to much higher precision in the coming years (https://home.cern/science/accelerators/high-luminosity-lhc). 

    SURF and Nikhef together operate a  Tier-1 site for storage and processing of this LHC measurement data. For this purpose, a special 1648 km long fiber path has been established between Geneva and Amsterdam. This trajectory will need to transport much more data in the near future. However, this path also presents a technical challenge due to its long distance, age, fiber type, and the number of small spans that make up this trajectory.

    Vendors of optical equipment continuously come up with improvements for fiber connections like their colleagues did for copper lines in the past. To see what is possible with the most modern optical equipment, SURF and Nikhef therefore regularly conduct trials with these suppliers. In March 2025, we conducted a trial with Ciena over our existing Amsterdam-Geneva connection. In this trial we were able to achieve speeds exceeding 1 Terabit per second over this challenging fiber path. We thank Ciena for the opportunity to do these tests and for its support. These results give us sufficient insights to be sure that at the technical level we can transport the upcoming LHC-data explosion to SURF and Nikhef in Amsterdam.

  • Successful trial: 1.2 Tbit/s data transfer to prepare long-haul network for AI and supercomputing

    Successful trial: 1.2 Tbit/s data transfer to prepare long-haul network for AI and supercomputing

    CSC, SURF, and Nokia have successfully tested a high-capacity, quantum-safe fibre-optic connection exceeding 1.2 terabit per second (Tbit/s) between Amsterdam and Kajaani (Finland) with data traversing over 3.500 kilometres. The trial demonstrated the potential of ultra-fast, cross-border connectivity for research.

    Tests were carried out along several routes, including the longest, which spanned 4,700 km through Norway at a capacity of 1Tbit/s. To put this in perspective, 1 Tbit/s is enough to stream 200,000 full HD movies (at 5 Mbit/s each) simultaneously.  

    These results are particularly promising as the research community prepares for supercomputers and AI Factories to come online – where reliable, scalable, and secure connections will be critical to supporting some of the world’s largest datasets and most demanding workloads.

    The test used a combination of real research data and synthetic data, transferred directly from disk to disk – from SURF’s facility in Amsterdam to CSC’s data center in Kajaani, across five production research and education networks: SURF (the Netherlands), NORDUnet (Nordic backbone), Sunet (Sweden), SIKT (Norway) and Funet (CSC’s network in Finland). 

    The network solution was based on Nokia’s IP/MPLS routing and quantum-safe optical networking gear. Nokia’s IP technology successfully demonstrated Flexible Ethernet (FlexE) to accommodate “elephant flows”, or very large continuous flows of data, and its high-capacity optical transport technology showed the ability to handle massive data sets generated by HPCs over long distances. 

    Distance between supercomputing centers is no obstacle

    With the exponential growth of research data, especially for training large-scale AI models, the need for resilient, high-throughput and secure connectivity is more critical than ever. This test confirms that multi-domain, high-capacity data transfers across European research networks are both feasible and future-ready. Testing an operational network connection over long distances provides unique insights into data transport and storage of large data volumes. The tests are crucial for improving the infrastructure for data-intensive research.  

    “We design research networks with future needs in mind,” said Jani Myyry, Senior Network Specialist at CSC. “CSC’s datacenter in Kajaani already hosts the pan-European LUMI supercomputer, and with the upcoming LUMI-AI supercomputer and AI Factory coming online, reliable and scalable data connections throughout Europe are essential. Even though the geographical distance is significant, it poses no obstacle to data traffic.” 

    Ready to take the next step in aligning European supercomputers

    “As SURF, we are ready to take the next step in aligning European supercomputers,” said Arno Bakker, Senior Network Specialist at SURF. “These efforts offer future perspectives to train federated LLM as OpenEuroLLM

    on LUMI and Snellius or for a researcher to compute on LUMI with very large datasets hosted at SURF, such as the KNMI (The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute) datasets.” 

    “This test would not have been possible without the support of NIKHEF, the Dutch national institute for subatomic physics. Their experience in handling huge amounts of physics measurement data and available hardware ensures that these kinds of tests can be done successfully. In addition, Bakker says we are very grateful to our Scandinavian partners for their help setting up this trail connection. This is again an example of the continued good cooperation between NRENs to create the best possible international infrastructure for research and education.”

    “Groundbreaking trials like this highlight how advanced networks are foundational to unlocking the full potential of AI and high-performance computing,” said Mikhail Lenko,Customer Solutions Architect for Nokia. “This successful collaboration with CSC and SURF is a testament to the innovation and leadership of the scientific community, and to what’s possible when we work together.”

    “As the network prepares for the next wave of supercomputers and AI Factories, we are proud to deliver the quantum-safe, high-capacity, and resilient IP/MPLS and optical infrastructure that makes these systems viable. We look forward to continuing our support for global research and education networks, helping them scale with confidence and drive the next generation of discovery and innovation.”

  • Celebrating 20 Years of LHCOPN & Looking Ahead to the Future of Scientific Data Infrastructure

    Celebrating 20 Years of LHCOPN & Looking Ahead to the Future of Scientific Data Infrastructure

    This week in Manchester, SURF participated in the 54th LHCOPN-LHCONE meeting, where global experts gathered to discuss the evolution of research networking. It was a special occasion as we celebrated 20 years since the first LHCOPN meeting, reflecting on how far we’ve come in enabling high-speed data transfer from CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) to researchers worldwide.

    At the heart of it all, we organize IT infrastructure to make science happen—to help researchers probe the fundamental nature of the universe. Whether it’s LHC physicists searching for the building blocks of matter or SKA astronomers listening to the faintest signals from the early universe, both fields generate massive amounts of data that push the limits of computing and networking.

    Sessions on LHC’s evolving network infrastructure highlighted valuable lessons as we discuss how to develop the SKA Observatory’s data systems. While the scale and patterns of data movement may differ, exploring synergies between NREN-based networks for LHC and SKA was particularly insightful.

    Of course, no meeting is complete without spirited debates—this time on the broader challenges of expanding network capabilities for large-scale scientific projects. The conversation naturally raised questions of trust, Acceptable Use Policies (AUP), and the impact on existing communities. The balance between openness and security, integration and specialization, is a fine one. And as history has shown, discussions on centralized vs. federated models tend to resurface over time—sometimes wrapped in new proposals, sometimes in a familiar shade of red.

    As always in these meetings, technical discussions mixed with broader questions of policy, trust, and governance—some unfolding over structured sessions, others in those classic last-minute deep dives when time was running short. Because in research networking, the big questions are never just about technology.

    Grateful for the engaging discussions, the shared knowledge, and the beautiful opening trip down memory lane. Plenty to reflect on and even more to explore—let’s keep the momentum going!

  • Strengthening Global Research Ties at APAN59: A Dutch-Asian Collaboration Spotlight

    Strengthening Global Research Ties at APAN59: A Dutch-Asian Collaboration Spotlight

    Back from #APAN59, and what a fantastic experience! Honored to represent SURF and #NetherLight, highlighting their impact in international research collaborations—especially between scientists in Japan and in the Netherlands.

    A great example is the #TTADDA project, where Wageningen University & Research (WUR), together with Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Japan (MAFFIN), National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) and several other partners are using drone technology to tackle food challenges through Dutch-Japanese #agritech collaboration.

    It was great to reconnect with peers worldwide, make new connections, and gain fresh insights. Huge thanks to all the speakers and moderators for their excellent work, including my dear colleague Alexander van den Hil whose expertise also as a moderator I very much admire!

    And of course, a big thank you to everyone who made this event so valuable, and to #APAN for an outstanding conference. Looking forward to what’s next!

    皆さん、本当にありがとうございました！
    (Minasan, hontō ni arigatō gozaimashita!)
    Thank you all very much!

    #GlobalResearchNetworking

    #InternationalConnectivity

    #GREN

    #NetherLight

  • Field trip to visit our colleagues at DFN-Verein

    Field trip to visit our colleagues at DFN-Verein

    What an insightful day in Berlin! A big thank you to Stefan Piger and Leonie Schäfer from DFN-Verein for the engaging discussions and valuable learnings. It was a pleasure to exchange ideas and explore opportunities for collaboration together. Looking forward to continuing this conversation!

  • Digital lead Netherlands under pressure

    Digital lead Netherlands under pressure

    Traditionally, the Netherlands has been an important digital hub in Europe. Sea cables landed in the Netherlands and made Amsterdam a digital hub. That had enormous appeal for parties that need a strong digital network, such as education and research. The leading position that the Netherlands has had for a long time is now under pressure. Why is that? Why is it bad if we lose that position? And what will it take not to lose this important position?

    Listen to this episode (in Dutch) of SURFsounds with Peter van Burgel, CEO of Amsterdam Internet Exchange (AMS-IX) and Alexander van der Hil, international policy and strategy advisor at SURF.

    https://podcast.surf.nl/@SURFsounds/episodes/digital-copposition-dutch-under-pressure-nuzey

    https://open.spotify.com/show/6IcYxQzB6wCCvxFJL34gzM

    https://podcasts.apple.com/nl/podcast/surf-sounds/id1682253126

    https://soundcloud.com/surf_sounds/digitale-koppositie-nederland-onder-druk/s-SdMgOCkefJM?si=140fbcd731d549088f76a46ff4fd0d87&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

    Via: https://www.surf.nl/podcast/digitale-koppositie-nederland-onder-druk

  • Stronger digital ties across the Atlantic

    Stronger digital ties across the Atlantic

    Stronger digital ties across the Atlantic


    Dutch, Nordic, and Canadian research and education networks
    upgrade their trans-Atlantic link to 400 Gigabits per second (Gbps) as
    part of the Advanced North Atlantic (ANA) consortium.

    The research and education network organizations of the Netherlands, the Nordic countries
    and Canada have signed an agreement to upgrade the existing connection between
    Amsterdam and Montréal from 100 Gbps to 400 Gbps, placing it among the most powerful
    intercontinental connections in the world.

    The Amsterdam-Montréal connection was established five years ago by SURF, the national research and education network (NREN) of the Netherlands, in collaboration with NORDUnet, the regional NREN of the five Nordic countries. With the new agreement, CANARIE – the federal partner in Canada’s NREN – joins, with the three partners contributing equally.

    The Advanced North Atlantic (ANA) consortium is a joint effort of nine research and education networking organizations in North America, Europe, and Asia committed to maintaining, operating, and sharing a high-speed trans-Atlantic network infrastructure.

    Partners chip in

    The strength of ANA consortium lies in the contribution that each partner makes to the system, and shares this with the ANA membership to achieve a better infrastructure for all. Since all members are organizations that exist to build and operate infrastructure to accommodate the needs specific to research and education, the willingness to contribute has been high.

    “This upgrade is a natural response to the increasing demand of research and education data and services exchange across the Atlantic Ocean, for example research enabled by the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and Square Kilometer Array (SKA) instruments. The ANA consortium is an excellent example of the impact of partnerships on the collective good. This partnership enables our three national research and education networks to do more together than we can do on our own, maximizing the impact of our individual investments – both on the researchers in our home countries and the global science initiatives they collaborate in,” says Mark Wolff, Chief Technology Officer, CANARIE.

    “The partners chip in when and where they can, but always with an eye to the capacity and redundancy of the entire system. This is one of the advantages of being in the research and education network community. Collaboration is smooth and trustful,” says Lars Lange Bjørn, Team Lead, Network & Service Technology, NORDUnet.

    A connection landing in Canada

    ANA began a little more than a decade ago as a pilot project, trying to probe interest in a 100 Gbps connection for research and education across the North Atlantic Ocean. In 2013, the first such connection was established.

    Currently, 13 connections across the Atlantic Ocean are operated as a unified system by the ANA partners.

    “Notably, the other 12 connections all land in the USA. Our connection is the only one landing in Canada, and this is essential for sufficient fail-over capacity and redundancy in the system,” says Harold Teunissen, Director Network and Campus at SURF.

    The 400 Gbps upgrade for the Amsterdam-Montréal connection is expected to be completed by September 2025.

    The Advanced North Atlantic (ANA) consortium members are KISTI, SURF, NORDUnet, NII,
    Indiana University, ESnet, Internet2, CANARIE, GÉANT.

    About NORDUnet

    NORDUnet is a collaboration between the National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) of the five Nordic countries, i.e., Denmark (DeiC), Finland (Funet/CSC), Iceland (RHnet), Norway (Sikt), and Sweden (Sunet). NORDUnet operates a world-class data network, based on dark fiber and spectrum sharing, together with support for e-infrastructures, including media services like videoconferencing and lecture capturing & playback. More than 400 research & education institutions in the Nordics, with over 1.2 million users, are connected via the Nordic NREN networks, enabling scientists, educators,
    and students to work and share knowledge globally. NORDUnet is an active participant in the European NREN collaboration GÉANT and is a founding father of intercontinental NREN collaborations such as the Advanced North Atlantic (ANA) and Asia Pacific Europe Ring (AER) systems that are part of the Global Research and Education Network (GREN). In 2020, NORDUnet celebrated 40 years of Nordic NREN collaboration.

    About SURF

    SURF is the ICT cooperative of Dutch education and research institutions. The members, the owners of SURF, join forces to develop or procure the best possible digital services, work together on complex innovation issues and develop and share knowledge with each other.

    SURF actively collaborates with other European NRENs united in GÉANT and participates in global consortia like the Advanced North Atlantic (ANA) and Asia Pacific Europe Ring (AER).

    NetherLight, SURF’s Global Exchange Point (GXP) dedicated to research and education data in Amsterdam connects similar GXPs and advanced high-capacity networks for scientific and educational collaboration. The NetherLight GXP plays a major and vital role in the federation of research and education networks worldwide, also known as the Global Research and Education Network (GREN)

    About CANARIE

    CANARIE, together with its 13 provincial and territorial partners, forms Canada’s National Research and Education Network (NREN). This ultra-high-speed network connects Canada’s researchers and educators to each other and to global data, technology, and colleagues.

    To strengthen the security of Canada’s research and education sector, CANARIE collaborates with its partners in the NREN, government, academia, and the private sector to fund, implement, and support cybersecurity initiatives. CANARIE also provides identity management services to the academic community through eduroam and identity and access management services.

    Established in 1993, CANARIE is a non-profit corporation, with most of its funding provided by the Government of Canada.