Deutsches Forschungsnetz selects Nokia to accelerate scientific research with a high-capacity green IP network 

Press Release

Deutsches Forschungsnetz selects Nokia to accelerate scientific research with a high-capacity green IP network 

• IP network upgrade allows Deutsches Forschungsnetz e.V. (DFN) to provide seamless access to critical resources and facilitate faster and more efficient collaboration.
• Expansion delivers interface speeds up to 800 Gigabits per second to meet future capacity growth
• Modernized IP core network offers higher bandwidth, increased capacity and up to 75% reduced power consumption

26 March 2025

Espoo, Finland – Nokia has renewed and expanded DFN’s, the German National Research and Education Network, IP core router network in Germany. Nokia’s IP router solution will give DFN access to higher bandwidth, increased network capacity and reduce power consumption in its network up to 75%.

The DFN Association offers a comprehensive suite of services designed to meet the evolving needs of the scientific research community. By providing high-throughput connectivity, DFN ensures that researchers can seamlessly access critical resources, such as supercomputers and large-scale data repositories, enabling faster and more efficient collaboration. This is particularly vital for projects that require extensive data transfers or collaboration with international research institutions.

The DFN Association operates the national research and education network and develops the communication infrastructure for universities, research institutes and R&D companies across Germany, connecting approximately 850 locations throughout the country. It is considered one of the largest and most powerful non-commercial networks in the world with a total length of 10,250 km of optical fiber in the backbone and a multi-terabit core network spanning 65 core network locations.

DFN selected Nokia to swap out existing equipment from another vendor and provide IP core network routers to ten locations in Germany. This upgrade will increase connectivity from DFN’s current 100G interfaces to 400G, with runway to further upgrade to 800G as demand warrants. Nokia deployed its scalable 7750 Service Routers which are based on the company’s FP5 routing silicon.

The deal includes a full suite of professional services, training and technical consultancy throughout the deployment and operation. All existing DFN applications were successfully migrated into Nokia’s service routers ahead of deployment.

“Nokia’s solution offered the performance and scalability we need for our IP core network in Germany, and the results speak for themselves. With the implemented solution, we are already equipped for 800G and can now further scale and expand our services according to the requirements of our participants in research and higher education in Germany. We are very satisfied with the collaboration with Nokia and the results achieved so far,” said Dr. Stefan Piger, Head of Network and Communication Services at DFN.

“As the developer and operator of the communications infrastructure linking universities and research institutes in Germany, DFN plays a vital role in fostering growth for the broader scientific community across the country. This collaboration with world class research and education network underscores the value of our IP routing technology in providing a robust, agile and adaptable core network with the headroom to scale efficiently into the future”, added Matthieu Bourguignon, Senior Vice President, Europe, Network Infrastructure at Nokia.

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About Deutsches Forschungsnetz e.V. - DFN

The DFN Association is responsible for the operation and expansion of the German research network and related IT services. DFN operates and develops the communication infrastructure for research institutes in Germany. It connects universities, non-university research institutions and research-related commercial enterprises at around 850 locations throughout Germany.

The science network has a total length of 10,250 km of optical fiber in the backbone and a multi-terabit core network spanning 65 core network locations; it is one of the largest and most powerful non-commercial communication networks in the world.

DFN operates not only nationally but also connects to European and global scientific networks and the general Internet via high-performance exchange points.

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