FLEX-SCALE: A Disruptive Approach Toward Flexibly Scalable Energy Efficient Networking

The European FLEX-SCALE project advances disruptive research on complementary optical x-haul network technologies in support of emerging requirements for 6G cellular systems. Employing a top-down strategy, it addresses the diverse requisites across all network levels. The architecture introduces optical nodes (ONs) for efficiently aggregating traffic, strategically placed to meet ultra-low latency demands at the network edge and varied capacities in the core. Utilizing optical ultra-wideband (UWB) and space division multiplexing (SDM) multiplexed transmission links, each ON routes traffic at multiple granularities (MG), from full fiber to flexibly defined bands, down to individual wavelength channels, as needed by the traffic flows. This enables the replacement of electronic routers by all-optical switches, significantly reducing energy consumption. The support of UWB/SDM boosts the network node aggregate capacity to 10 Pb/s, meeting the envisioned year-2030 capacity targets for 6G. With enabling technologies and components like the optical digital-to-analog converter (DAC), the plasmonic transceivers, or multi-granular optical nodes, FLEX-SCALE seeks to make a reality key 6G network attributes like ultra-high capacity, flexibility, scalability, cost-effectiveness, low latency, and reliability. A sophisticated control and orchestration system ensures optimal operation, energy efficiency, and service provisioning, utilizing advanced traffic engineering, cloud-native architecture, and machine learning. In summary, FLEX-SCALE represents a visionary and comprehensive approach, ushering in a transformative era for 6G connectivity.