IOWN APN: 775Gbps Long-Distance Data Transfer Specs and Results

EE Times Japan Japan

Overview

A consortium including NII and NTT has demonstrated ultra-high-speed data transfer between Kobe and Kashiwa using IOWN All-Photonics Network (APN) technology. The experiment achieved speeds of approximately 775Gbps, reducing latency by about 20% compared to the SINET network.

In Depth

Key Findings

Researchers have successfully demonstrated ultra-high-speed data transfer between storage systems located in Kobe and Kashiwa, Japan. Utilizing the All-Photonics Network (APN) based on the IOWN infrastructure, the team recorded a maximum transfer speed of approximately 775Gbps against a line bandwidth of 800Gbps, representing approximately 97% efficiency. The group confirmed that speeds exceeding 750Gbps could be maintained for several minutes.

Technical Details

The experimental setup connected an NTT West office in Osaka with an NTT East office in Kashiwa via an 800Gbps APN line. The endpoints—RIKEN Center for Computational Science (R-CCS) in Kobe and the University of Tokyo’s Kashiwa campus—were connected to their nearest offices using two 400Gbps lines each. To verify performance, the team used two applications: the second-generation HPCI shared storage and “MMCFTP,” a high-speed file transfer tool developed by NII. The MMCFTP setup utilized NII servers equipped with NVMe SSDs, connected via one 400GbE and four 100GbE interfaces. When both applications were used simultaneously, the peak speed of 775Gbps was achieved. Additionally, latency measurements showed a reduction of approximately 20% compared to the SINET academic network.

Background and Context

The project involves the National Institute of Informatics (NII), RIKEN, the University of Tokyo, NTT East, and NTT West. RIKEN’s R-CCS operates the “Fugaku” supercomputer and seeks to enhance research environments by integrating AI, simulation, and quantum computing. The University of Tokyo’s Information Infrastructure Center provides computing bases for “AI for Science.” Together, RIKEN and the University of Tokyo already operate the HPCI shared storage, with each possessing approximately 100 petabytes of storage.

Significance and Outlook

The group plans to conduct further Proof of Concept (PoC) tests for high-quality, large-scale data transfers. In November 2026, the team intends to extend the 400Gbps segment of this environment to Chicago for the SC26 conference. This will mark the first time a file transfer experiment between Japan and the U.S. utilizes lines of 400Gbps or higher across all sections, including international lines and servers.

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