NTT, Intel, Sony form global forum specializing in future communications infrastructure

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT), Intel Corporation (Intel) and Sony Corporation (Sony) have all come together to create a new industry forum, the Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN*) Global Forum.

As explained by NTT, IOWN is a future communications infrastructure to realize a smart world by using cutting-edge technologies like photonics and computing technologies.

The global forum's objective is to accelerate the adoption of a new communication infrastructure that will bring together an all photonics network infrastructure including silicon photonics, edge computing, and wireless distributed connected computing to meet the future data and computing requirements through the development of new technologies, frameworks, specifications, and reference designs, in areas such as:

• Photonics R&D, including photonic devices of the future, photonic network equipment and end-to-end architecture, powered by advances in photonics-electronics convergence technologies. This will significantly reduce power consumption and enable instant access and response by shortening latency times and broadening transmission capacity.
• Distributed Connected Compute, which is expected to be increasingly critical for computing across networks, leveraging both AI and workloads that will be dynamic and distributed.
• Use cases and best practices for a smart world and enabling technologies, such as Digital Twin Computing (a computing paradigm that enables humans and things in the real world to be recreated and interact without restrictions in cyberspace), R&D in human behavior and society modeling, large-scale simulations and next-generation "real" UI/UX device technologies.

Next-generation communications have the potential to improve many aspects of life, ranging from remote healthcare, disaster prevention, education, automated driving, finance, entertainment/sports, and industrial manufacturing.

NTT says that the IOWN's aim is to deliver the next generation of communication infrastructure that will allow as many people as possible to take advantage of this future.

Technology, telecommunications, and other industry organizations will be invited to join the forum. NTT, Intel and Sony, with their industry leadership and expertise in these technology areas, will act as founding members. In the coming months, NTT, Intel and Sony will select the initial board of the IOWN Global Forum to jointly kick off operations.

IOWN Global Forum will be based in the U.S. and NTT says that membership opportunities are currently available to interested parties. More details on IOWN and membership information can be found at http://www.iowngf.org