Intel and China Mobile Research Institute jointly released the first cloud-network fusion SRv6 open source project

April 14, 2021, Beijing - The 2021 China Cloud Network Intelligent Connection Conference (formerly the China SDN/NFV/AI Conference) kicked off in Beijing today. Aiming to promote network transformation and commercial application of services, this conference brought together thousands of industry professionals to discuss topics of great concern in the industry, such as network automation, virtualization, 5G core network, edge computing, and SDN. During the conference, Intel, together with China Mobile, Zijinshan Laboratory, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, and Ruijie Networks, released the latest results of the SRv6 open source project, and officially released the world's first open source wide area network solution for cloud-network integration, aiming to further lead network innovation for 5G+ and accelerate the pace of 5G cloud-network integration.

Duan Xiaodong, deputy director of China Mobile Research Institute, said in his speech: "The development of cloud-network integration and 5G/6G poses major challenges to IP networks. SRv6 is expected to integrate multiple fields and become a unified protocol. China Mobile has been committed to the innovation and promotion of SRv6, and has taken the lead in launching the innovative technology of G-SRv6 header compression. This time, China Mobile and multiple partners jointly launched an overall open source solution of controller + operating system + forwarding plane for SRv6 technology, aiming to promote the implementation of the SRv6 technology system and accelerate the process of cloud-network integration."

Nick McKeown, Intel Fellow, Stanford University Professor, and ONF Co-Founder, said: "We are very happy to work together on this open source SRv6 project. By applying SDN control planes (such as ONOS) and programmable switches (such as Intel Tofino), we can program how the network works. This allows large operators like China Mobile to introduce innovative features into their networks, making the network easier to control, more reliable and more secure. I am very happy to see that China Mobile is using this method to promote the development of SRv6 technology. I hope this launch will be the beginning of a long and fruitful partnership. Open source projects like this are the future of the network. I look forward to long-term cooperation with China Mobile and congratulations on the launch of this exciting new project."

Nick McKeown, Intel senior academician, Stanford University professor, and ONF co-founder, delivered a speech

Academician Liu Yunjie, Director of Purple Mountain Laboratory, said: "The successful test of the G-SRv6 open source project on the CENI Future Network Large Science Facility is of great significance. In addition to the verification of the G-SRv6 results, it is also a great encouragement to CENI. The release of the G-SRv6 results has played a good leading role. I hope that we can work together to make more meaningful achievements in the field of network innovation."

At present, the digital economy is booming, and 5G integration and innovation have become important industry trends. Cloud is the carrier of the digital economy, and network is the foundation of the digital economy. The integration of the two has become the main direction of 5G innovation and development. In order to flexibly meet the needs of emerging businesses such as 5G, cloud-network collaboration, and ubiquitous connectivity, and further enhance the comprehensive capabilities of cloud-network integration, since China Mobile took the lead in proposing the innovative technical solution of G-SRv6 header compression optimization in 2020, all parties have been actively committed to the open source SRv6 network protocol to accelerate the deployment of SRv6-related technologies, products, and solutions in the industry, and drive the rapid implementation of standardization in the industrial chain.

The open source WAN solution for cloud-network convergence released this time starts from the advantages of SRv6 technology such as unified bearer, high reliability, high programmability, and smooth evolution. By integrating ONF's three open source platforms - ONOS-based controller, Stratum-based device operating system, and P4 and Intel Tofino-based white box switches, and further developing them, a complete core routing system solution for cloud-network convergence has been built to further accelerate the development of the next-generation IP network.

Among them, Intel Tofino programmable switching chips hand over the key to network innovation to end users through the efficient P4 language, enabling network operators to program the network forwarding plane, thereby greatly shortening the development and application cycle of new network data plane forwarding protocols and accelerating network innovation. At the same time, the data plane functions described by the P4 language can also run on various platforms including virtual switches vSwitch, network cards, FPGAs and Ethernet switching chips, enabling users to flexibly innovate and deploy solutions.

Intel Tofino has been widely used in data centers and several large core network routers, and its programmability makes it an ideal choice for global mobile communication networks. It is worth mentioning that Intel Tofino series chips can now provide services for different scenarios, including high-capacity and high-performance environments, new scenarios for 5G, edge computing, and machine learning, and have optimized functions and efficiency for ultra-large-scale environments.

Intel has long been committed to building an end-to-end programmable platform based on P4 to unleash unlimited potential in various scenarios such as end-to-end network telemetry, high-performance congestion control, acceleration for specific application loads, and acceleration of virtualized network functions. With the rapid development of 5G cloud-network integration, Intel will continue to work with industry partners such as China Mobile to lead 5G+ network innovation based on its flexible and powerful solution innovation capabilities and unique chip programmability, and drive the development of 5G cloud-network integration to a new level.