Vision for the Center for Integrated Access Networks
In the last 40 years, the US has led the development of the core technologies behind the current computing revolution. Starting with discrete electronic components, this transformation was enabled by massive integration through micro- and nano-technologies to provide cost-effective high-speed computing.
Ultra-high-speed telecommunication technology, that is fueled by optical technologies, has not followed this trend. High-density integrated optoelectronics is not currently affordable for widespread access network applications. Although everyone may have GHz computers on their desk, their communication access speeds in the United States tend to be Mbit/s, at best.
With the advent of high-speed, high-density access networks (i.e., fiber-to- the-home, 3G/4G cellular, Wi-Max, etc.), available bandwidth at the edge of the network will need to grow dramatically, and thus require that the aggregated access capacity be comparable to what is now available in the network core. Over a fifteen year horizon, keeping the US in a leadership position in information technologies will require developing dense, integrated optoelectronic systems with the capabilities of the current optoelectronic network core at the cost of the current electronic access network.
Analogous to how the supercomputer of 40 years ago became the laptop of today using massive integration of discrete components, our vision is to create transformative technologies for optical access networks where virtually any application requiring any resource can be seamlessly and efficiently aggregated and interfaced with existing and future core networks in a cost effective manner.
This vision will create the "PC" equivalent for the optical access network. The CIAN ERC will accomplish this by transforming costly discrete optoelectronic technologies of today's network into affordable, highly integrated optoelectronic subsystems that demonstrate novel optical network functionalities and infrastructure that enable heterogeneous services.
Our ultimate goal is to provide the technological foundation for an advanced optical access network that simultaneously achieves efficient high data rate aggregation, to amortize the cost for end users, while providing the necessary flexibility to support diverse end user requirements.
The development of these technologies is essential for delivery of single user data rates approaching 10 Gb/s and the associated services to a broad population base regardless of the "last-mile" technology. This vision will enable affordable, flexible access to any type of service to anybody, anywhere, at anytime and motivates the formation of the Center for Integrated Access Networks (CIAN).
The intellectual merit of CIAN and its mission is to create transformative technologies for optical access networks where virtually any application (e.g., multimedia streaming, data intensive web applications) requiring any resource can be seamlessly and efficiently aggregated and interfaced with existing and future core networks in a cost effective manner.
The University of Arizona and its partner institutions, the University of California at San Diego, the California Institute of Technology, Stanford University, the University of Southern California, University of California at Los Angeles, University of California at Berkeley, Columbia University, Norfolk State University and Tuskegee University, will establish CIAN.
