Major tech companies such as Microsoft, Intel, and AMD jointly established 'Ultra Ethernet Consortium' to formulate high-performance network standards for the AI era

The Linux Foundation announced on July 19, 2023 the establishment of the network standards organization `` Ultra Ethernet Consortium (UEC) ''. The Ultra Ethernet Consortium aims to improve Ethernet for technologies that require advanced networks such as AI and high performance computing (HPC), and co-founders include Microsoft, Intel, AMD, Meta, and other major technology companies are listed.

Ultra Ethernet Consortium

https://ultraethernet.org/

Leading Cloud Service, Semiconductor, and System Providers Unite to Form Ultra Ethernet Consortium
https://www.linuxfoundation.org/press/announcing-ultra-ethernet-consortium-uec

In the operating environment of AI and HPC, the 'total amount of data transferred' and 'the amount of data transferred at one time' are extremely large, and there is a situation where the existing Ethernet cannot fully handle it. UEC aims to establish a network standard that can support AI and HPC by solving technical problems existing in Ethernet and adding necessary functions.

UEC says it will develop new standards while maintaining interoperability with Ethernet. In addition, we plan to develop new APIs that can support future computing architectures while maintaining backward compatibility with widely used APIs.

UEC's founding members, in alphabetical order, include major technology companies such as AMD, Arista, Broadcom, Cisco, Eviden, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Intel, Meta and Microsoft.

Robert Homas, Vice President of Architecture and Strategy at AMD, said, ``In areas that require advanced computing such as AI learning, machine learning, and HPC, we need a cost-effective cross-industry solution with interoperability as a top priority.AMD will participate in the UEC to build an open Ethernet architecture that meets the needs of the data center, 'he emphasizes the need for a new network standard.

Products that adopt the new standards formulated by the UEC are scheduled to start shipping in 2024.