The dedicated research network of the US Department of Energy operates the world’s fastest ESnet internet connection. The history of the venture dates back to 1986. ESnet connects all the major laboratories in the US and is mainly used for data transfer, analysis, visualization and possible scientific breakthroughs. It was recently updated to ESnet6 and is now even faster. The uploaded upgrade is currently available only for research by scientists.
The fastest internet network has accelerated considerably
After the upgrade, ESnet achieved a staggering 46 terabits per second (Tbps) throughput . This means that it is equally 46,000 times faster than the fastest available connection for consumers (10 Gb / s).
“ESnet6 represents a transformative shift in the way networks are built for research, with increased capacity, resilience and flexibility […] Together, these new capabilities make scientists around the world lead and collaborate on groundbreaking research faster, easier and more efficient,” he said. ESnet’s Executive Director, Indra Monga, in the company’s press release.
Esnet consists of 24,000 kilometers of fiber optic cables spanning the entire country and enabling common backbone links. Until now, each of them could transfer data from 400 Gb / s to 1 Tb / s in the case of record transfers. The increase is therefore 46 times the fastest possible data flow before the update.
Interestingly, although it is by far the fastest network in the world, it did not achieve a record speed of one-time data transmission. This title belongs to the Japanese who managed to achieve 1 petabit per second, i.e. 1024 Tb / s.
Updated ESnet6 is already in the hands of scientists and under testing.
* – remember that a bit is not the same as a byte. In all measures it should be assumed that 1 byte corresponds to 8 bits.
main photo: Proxima Studio
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