100 Gbps Processing: Why Architectures Matter

100 Gbps Processing: Why Architectures Matter

Published in Military Embedded Systems
By Aaron Frank

High performance embedded module and system designers must understand the technical considerations required to fully realize the true benefits of 100G technology.

In the context of 100 Gbps technology for the VPX ecosystem, simply stating that a module or system supports 100 Gbps is, by itself, insufficient for ensuring the full benefits of the claim. If a vendor's datasheet for a VPX plug-in card (PIC) or system states 100 Gbps support but is unable to fully utilize the potential of this high-speed connectivity, that claim - while perhaps technically accurate - overstates the product's ability to deliver the full benefits that 100 Gbps promises.

At face value, a vendor's claim to support 100 Gbps technology implies 2.5 times faster <something> compared to 40 Gbps technology, and ten times faster <something> compared to 10 Gbps technology. In an ideal world, the mathematical relationship between 100 and 40 will result in 2.5 times better performance. Likewise, 100 to 10 should yield a 10-time performance increase. Unfortunately, the real world does not work like that. A 16-core laptop processor does not allow a person to work 4 times faster when editing documents compared to their previous 4-core laptop.

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