September 15, 2022 — Why do scientists, researchers and engineers from around the world flock to SC every year? The answers are many, but most focus on their quest for discovery, to learn about the latest and most innovative next-generation high-performance computing and networking technologies that are redefining the way we live and work.
And at SC22, that thirst for advanced technology solutions also applies to the conference’s custom wireless network, which will allow thousands of attendees and exhibitors to connect and communicate seamlessly with their colleagues inside. and outside the spacious Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas.
Thanks to the contribution of millions of dollars in equipment and labor by PIER Group, an SCinet Diamond 2022 contributor, the conference’s high-capacity SCinet network will – for the first time – feature Wi-Fi 6E technology. (6GHz). But don’t worry, it’s backwards compatible so your current electronics will connect.
According to PIER Group Networking Director Shannon Champion, who leads a 10-person company team that will install and oversee the network, Wi-Fi 6E is “uncharted territory” for most users of the network. Wi-Fi network in research, education or business.
“This is a new technology that very few have deployed at scale,” Shannon says. “Wi-Fi 6E will provide SC22 participants with a wired-like experience, just like being connected to a switch, anywhere in the conference area covered by wireless.”
Recently, PIER Group completed the largest deployment of Wi-Fi 6E technology to date for the entire University of Michigan campus. Serving more than 63,000 students with 16,000 hotspots across 225 buildings, the new network can accommodate up to 70,000 concurrent Wi-Fi connections at download speeds of up to 750 megabits per second.
Of course, SCinet is no stranger to innovation. Since its birth in 1991, for the fourth SC event held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, SCinet has been the most powerful and advanced network in the world each year for the duration of the conference. To learn more about the many networking stages of SCinet, visit the SCinet History page.
Each year, network experts who volunteer or participate through sponsorships unite to design, build and administer the SCinet wireless and wireline infrastructure. Leading the team of about 200 people this year is SCinet President Matthew J. Zekauskas, Principal Investigator at Internet2.
Although PIER Group is a long-time SC exhibitor and SCinet participant, the company was asked to provide additional support last year. This was due to the need for additional wired and wireless capacity to accommodate the thousands of attendees who attended virtually due to the pandemic, and therefore could only view presentations and events via streaming.
“The feedback we received was that a lot of exhibitors didn’t need to log in to [wired network] switches because the wireless service was so good,” notes Shannon. “And we are expanding beyond that this year.”
Beyond its ability to enable exhibitors and attendees to maintain connectivity, SCinet serves as a platform for the demonstration of advanced computing resources by supporting a wide variety of supercomputing and cloud computing applications based on the bandwidth through workshops, demos and collaborations.
As always, the SCinet hub for SC this year will be in its show-based Network Operations Center (NOC), which also serves as a display area for the latest commercial equipment used to operate this wired and wireless network. high performance yarn.
Learn more about SCinet and find out how to become a SCinet volunteer or contributor. SCinet also includes opportunities for female student volunteers and participants in SC Women in Computing Networking (WINS).
Source: SC22