- Keysight Technologies has announced the launch of the AresONE 1600GE platform, designed for emulating artificial intelligence (AI) workloads on 1.6T Ethernet.
- This solution aims to validate next-generation AI networks operating on 224G SerDes interfaces by simulating large-scale compute nodes and testing infrastructure reliability, both during development and after deployment.
With the increasing prevalence of AI workloads, network architectures are evolving toward higher data rates and increased port density, particularly through 800GE and 1600GE interfaces.
These developments aim to improve the efficiency of AI infrastructures and reduce the number of network layers. However, validating these new designs presents challenges, particularly regarding link integrity on 224G lanes, congestion management during microbursts, and realistic emulation of AI cluster communications.
Features of the AresONE 1600GE Platform
The AresONE 1600GE platform combines a high-density hardware architecture with Keysight AI Data Center Builder (KAI DC Builder) software. It enables the emulation of AI workloads under real-world conditions, including RoCEv2 connections and various cluster communication models. This allows teams to evaluate key performance indicators (KPIs) in near-production environments.
Key Features:
• Data Center-Scale Validation: Evaluate AI infrastructures using real-world workloads and high-speed GPU cluster emulation. The platform tests GPUs, AI network interface cards (NICs), and accelerators, measuring the network’s impact on task execution time, as well as performance isolation and load balancing.
• OSFP 1600 Hardware Architecture: Four OSFP 1600 ports supporting flexible configurations (1 × 1600GE, 2 × 800GE, 4 × 400GE, or 8 × 200GE) on 224G SerDes lanes, enabling large-scale traffic validation.
• End-to-End Validation: Supports optical and electrical link validation, forward error correction (FEC), physical coding, and Layer 2/3 protocol and traffic analysis.
• Scalable Design: High-performance processing and memory for automated and repeatable testing, with seamless integration in both lab and data center environments.
• Integration with Keysight IxNetwork: Large-scale emulation of Layer 2/3 protocols and traffic, providing enhanced visibility to identify issues earlier.
Market Analysis
According to Alan Weckel, founder and technology analyst at 650 Group, the AI interconnect market, including scale-up, scale-out, scale-across, and front-end networks, is expected to reach nearly $200 billion by 2030. This growth will be driven in particular by the expansion of 800G and 1.6T Ethernet. Ram Periakaruppan, Vice President and General Manager of Keysight Network Test and Security Solutions, emphasizes that the AresONE 1600GE platform allows hyperscalers and AI innovators to validate their equipment under real-world conditions, thereby reducing risk and accelerating deployments.
Keysight will showcase the AresONE 1600GE and the KAI Data Center Builder at the OFC conference, from March 17 to 19, 2026, at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
