The Ethernet Alliance is a global consortium of system and component vendors, industry experts, and university and government professionals who are committed to the success and expansion of Ethernet technology. The mission of the Ethernet Alliance is to support Ethernet technology through activities such as interoperability demonstrations and educational programs and materials.

The Ethernet Alliance recently released their 2016 Ethernet Roadmap, which shows historical application speeds leading to the latest developments in Ethernet and progressing to estimates for what future speeds may become available and when. The roadmap includes new technologies such as Flexible Ethernet (FlexE), new optical modules, and 4-Pair Power over Ethernet (PoE) and summarizes common Ethernet interfaces and nomenclature. Highlights from the 2016 Ethernet Roadmap include:

• Hyperscale data centers drive amazing Ethernet volumes when hundreds of thousands of servers are connected on one site
• Ethernet is being deployed in automobiles and will become the de facto standard for automobile networks by 2020
• Most homes have wireless access points (WAPs) with 4 or more Ethernet ports
• Greater than Terabit per second (Tb/s) Ethernet transmission speed capability is predicated for the near future

2016 Ethernet Roadmap – The Past, Present, and Future of Ethernet

Common Ethernet Interfaces and Nomenclature

Click here for a .pdf copy of the 2016 Ethernet Roadmap.

Click here to learn more about the Ethernet Alliance.