computer science

Infinera

Infinera is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Infinera rather than just read about it. In short: Infinera Corporation was an American vertically integrated manufacturer of Wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM)-based packet optical transmission equipment based in San Jose, California. It was also a manufacturer for IP transport technologies, for the telecommunications service provider market.

Key takeaways

Infinera belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Infinera to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Infinera from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Infinera Corporation was an American vertically integrated manufacturer of Wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM)-based packet optical transmission equipment based in San Jose, California. It was also a manufacturer for IP transport technologies, for the telecommunications service provider market. It was a pioneer in designing and manufacturing of large-scale photonic integrated circuits (PICs). The company sold hardware and software networking options for Tier 1 carrier, Internet content provider, cable operator, government, and enterprise networks. In June 2024, Nokia acquired Infinera for $2.3 billion.

History Infinera was founded in 2000 as Zepton Networks by Drew Perkins, Jagdeep Singh and David Welch. It raised its first round of funding in April 2001. The startup remained in stealth mode until its first products were launched in 2004, although a few early media articles did describe the company's component technology - a photonic integrated circuit in indium phosphide. Underwritten by Goldman Sachs, Infinera went public on Nasdaq in 2007, raising $182 million. David Welch was recognized in 2013 with the JJ Thomson Medal for Electronics, an award from the Institution of Engineering and Technology for his role as a pioneer in the field of optical devices, including PICs, and optical networks. On August 14, 2013, DANTE (Delivery of Advanced Networks to Europe, a research and education network) and Infinera announced that they had set a Guinness World Record by provisioning 8 terabits per second (Tb/s) of long-haul capacity on the GÉANT network from Vancis in Amsterdam, Netherlands to GlobalConnect in Hamburg, Germany in 19 minutes and 1 second using Infinera's DTN-X packet optical transport platform. In August 2015, Infinera acquired Transmode, a supplier of metro packet-optical networking systems based in Stockholm, Sweden, following an offer made in April 2015. Transmode shareholders received a mix of cash and Infinera shares, giving a total equity value for Transmode of about $350 million. On July 23, 2018 Coriant entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Infinera. This acquisition was closed on October 1, 2018. Nokia acquired Infinera for $2.3 billion in a cash and stock deal in June 2024.

Technology Infinera pioneered the design and manufacturing of large-scale photonic integrated circuits. Over 2000 patents have been filed by Infinera in fields including optical transport and the virtualization of optical bandwidth. The production efficiency of using monolithic integration with PIC has permitted Infinera to incorporate hundreds of advanced optical components into a small package to deliver capacity up to 800 gigabits per second (Gb/s) per wavelength. This large throughput may be in excess of actual carrier requirements. Infinera has changed its business model to permit purchase of a 500 Gbit/s. line card by a carrier, but only switch on capacity in 100 Gb/second units of capacity. The company refers to this pricing model as "Cashflow-Efficient Instant Bandwidth" and has trademarked the term. The company's technology road map projects linecards' throughput to scale to 4 terabit and beyond.

Business strategy The company's business strategy has been based upon introducing of leading edge speeds, initially with 10 Gb/second, and as of 2013, 100 Gb/second and 500 Gb/second based upon Superchannels (or combining channels). These higher speed offerings are referred to as coherent super-channels. These higher level speeds are enabled by the use of photonic integrated circuits (PIC) which combine digital circuitry and photonic circuitry in a hybrid multi-layer (3-D) component. Real time virtualization of bandwidth represents a relatively new capability in optical transport networks. Previously, engineers would have to physically reconfigure equipment to provide for reallocation of bandwidth to different customers channels or services. Provisioning is exceptionally fast with PIC and virtualization.

Operations As of July 2018, the company has its own fab in Sunnyvale, with component packaging occurring in Allentown, Pennsylvania, plus the former Transmode facility in Stockholm. For many of its products, Infinera designs and manufactures in-house the photonic integrated circuits (PICs), the ASIC chips, and the hardware and software systems, including operating and management systems and software-defined network (SDN) software to extend network virtualization into the optical layer. The company refers to its combined component development, product development and system manufacturing as vertically integrated. The company announced in 2019, that it is moving its headquarters from Sunnyvale to San Jose. However, it plans to continue operating its fab from the Sunnyvale facility. In 2026, the company purchased a manufacturing site in San Jose for $27 million.

See also Generalized Multi-Protocol Label Switching (GMPLS) Optical transport network (OTN) Photonic integrated circuit Submarine communications cable Wavelength-division multiplexing

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Infinera

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Infinera claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Infinera before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Infinera ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Infinera

In research: Infinera appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Infinera in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Infinera is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Companies based in Sunnyvale, California, Companies established in 2000, Companies listed on the Nasdaq, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Infinera outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Infinera in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Infinera means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Infinera out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Infinera in simple terms?

Why does Infinera matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Infinera?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Infinera.