Category: IIoT

What’s the deal with Industry 4.0 (and how do we deal with it)?

Whereas the third Industrial Revolution was defined by widespread digitalization (the rise of computers, process logic controllers, etc.), the fourth Industrial Revolution is all about fusing digital, physical and virtual resources to create intelligent processes that think, do and respond faster and more accurately than humans alone can. The fourth Industrial Revolution is a way of describing the blurring of boundaries between the physical, digital, and biological worlds. It’s a fusion of advances in artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, IoT, 3D printing, genetic engineering, quantum computing, and other technologies.

Ethernet Alliance gears up for 50th anniversary plus 10G-800G demo at OFC 2023

The Ethernet Alliance this week revealed details of its upcoming multivendor technology demonstration at the 2023 Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exhibition (OFC 2023), among the world’s premier telecom and data center optics events, to be held March 7-9, 2023, at the San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, California.
Ethernet Alliance said this year’s multivendor interoperability display uniquely captures Ethernet technology’s 50-year track record of success, while illustrating the need for a “living lab” of next-generation technologies, and setting the stage for its next evolutionary phase.
Peter Jones, chairman of the Ethernet Alliance, remarked: “We’re now at the half-century mark, and Ethernet’s star continues to rise. As a profoundly resilient technology that’s getting progressively faster, it is an innovation engine that drives market diversification and fuels business growth. As the volume and variety of applications expand, bridging between legacy systems and emerging technologies is increasingly critical. The Ethernet Alliance OFC 2023 demo underscores the importance of interoperability and perfectly frames Ethernet’s ability to operate seamlessly across disparate industries and environments.”
Featuring 18 different participating member companies, the Ethernet Alliance interoperability demo in its OFC booth #5417 will span diverse Ethernet technologies, ranging from 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) to 800GbE.
This year’s interoperability display will feature a live network between the Ethernet Alliance and the Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF), EXFO Inc., Spirent Communications, and Viavi Solutions Inc. booths.
The network will leverage single-mode optical fibers with high-speed traffic originating from an array of switches, routers, interconnects, including copper and optical cables.
It will also showcase various interconnects using multiple pluggable form factors such as OSFP, QSFP-DD, QSFP, and SFP, and multiple interface types including OIF 400ZR, OpenZR+ MSA 400ZR+, and 800G-ETC-CR8.
Finally, there will be live demonstrations from BERT and AN/LT test equipment.

Belden intros Single Pair Ethernet connectivity line to enable IIoT, Industry 4.0

Global network and digitization solutions supplier Belden on Jan. 13 announced the introduction of its new Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) line of connectivity products.
The new Belden SPE portfolio includes: IP20-rated PCB jack, patch cords and cordsets for clean-area connections. IP65/IP67-rated circular M8/M12 patch cords, cordsets and receptacles for reliable field device industrial Ethernet connections.
The products are designed to optimize Ethernet connection possibilities in harsh environments, including industrial and transportation operations.

The optical fiber that keeps data safe even after being twisted or bent

Physicists at the University of Bath in the UK have developed a new kind of fiber designed to enhance the robustness of networks. This robustness could prove to be especially important in the coming age of quantum networks. The team has fabricated optical fibers that can protect light using the mathematics of topology. Best of all, these modified fibers are easily scalable, meaning the structure of each fiber can be preserved over thousands of kilometers.