Delivering an engaging experience from the intelligent Edge of the Communications Service Provider (CoSP) network will take more than network equipment configuration changes. The demand from customers will be for services that fundamentally change how communications networks deliver services. To continue to meet Edge compute requirements for emerging and AI-infused use cases, Lenovo is announcing support for the latest 2^nd Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors with Intel DL Boost, and availability of Intel Select Solutions for NFVI Forwarding Platform and Intel Select Solutions for Media Analytics.

Bringing the latest technology to the network Edge

Lenovo is pleased to offer the new 2^nd Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors with adoption of new Edge architectures to empower service provider and 5G networks. The collaboration between Lenovo and Intel ensures customers take advantage of the latest CPU performance, built-in AI acceleration, hardened security and industry-leading ecosystem on servers with the highest uptime in industry. Intel Select Solutions are verified, workload-optimized solutions that accelerate customers’ time-to-deployment and feature latest 2^nd Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors for even greater performance-driven value.

Finding the most efficient path with the Intel Select Solutions for NFVI Forwarding Platform

With Lenovo’s emphasis on the Edge of the network the new Intel reference architectures support our objective to expedite delivery of network services to the Edge and create an increasingly immersive user experience. Lenovo’s verified, Intel Select Solution for NFVi Forwarding Platform features both the latest 2^nd Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors and the 25Gb Intel Ethernet 700 Series network adapters. The Forwarding Platform supports the Control and User Plane Separation strategy thereby creating an Edge point for media to disembark from the core network path. This separation supports increased performance, creates opportunities for augmented service and minimizes network latencies to the end user. This Lenovo verified solution meets the Intel reference architecture performance benchmark to address challenges emerging at the new network Edge. The Forwarding Platform is suited to implement these types of services:

• Ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (URLLC)
  
  
  
  • URLLC applications require low end-end latencies to achieve positive Customer Experience. Highly visible voice & video performance sets a baseline for customers’ expectation, but the expanded list of services includes mission-critical services such as autonomous driving, remote medical, industrial automation. URLLC services must be not only highly secure, but also reliable.
  
  
  
  


• enhanced Mobile BroadBand (eMBB)
  
  
  
  • Mobile networks that deliver some data connectivity have become so ubiquitous that basic services are highly competitive. eMBB is an advancement to basic broadband service that enables Augmented and Virtual Reality features that often require high up and down link performance. 360° video is an example of multimedia service that demands high performance from the network.
  
  
  
  


• massive Machine Type Communications (mMTC)
  
  
  
  • IoT spans enterprise and individual devices exponentially accelerating the numbers of devices connected to the network. A steady rise in the amount of bandwidth the network is required to deliver. 5G access technologies facilitate not just up and downlink communications, but also the efficient transference of data from devices through the Edge of the network.
  
  
  
  

With the Intel Select Solutions for NFVI Forwarding Platform implemented, carriers can optimize many basic network services on their service platforms, such as vCGNAT, vBNG, 5G UPF, vEPC and vCDN.

Media Analytics are required to deliver elevated experiences

Lenovo is announcing the ThinkSystem SR650 server which has been verified to meet all the benchmarks and requirements for Intel Select Solutions for Media Analytics base configuration. With the increasing emphasis of high bandwidth applications at the network Edge, having real-time analytics capability on streaming data in proximity to users is of paramount importance. Key customer segments that will benefit from these improvements are Smart Cities and media/entertainment industries.

To ensure a consistent user experience without degrading the compute performance of network Edge nodes, the Media Analytics architecture ensures the diagnostic capability of streaming services are available to constantly optimize users’ experience of network solutions. Using data collected from streaming services, over time data can be used by operators to fine tune their network configurations based on the balance between performance and network resource demand.

In the case of the Media Analytics verification announcement, Lenovo has demonstrated that its network Edge solutions will accommodate the feature pipelines intended to serve the markets of Live Artificial Intelligence (AI) Based Ad Insertion, Audio / Video (A/V) Synchronization, and Smart City Applications.

Live, Artificial Intelligence (AI) Based Ad Insertion

The revenue opportunity for Live Ad Insertion is expected to be nearly $43B in 2020, representing a growth rate of 30%. This type of advertising represents one of the fastest growing marketing opportunities across all social media-based advertising channels. Communications Service providers and their customers will need to monetize these emerging opportunities.

Audio / Video (A/V) Synchronization

The rapid development of the smartphone led to its being the all-purpose, all-the-time compute device. This usage naturally drove the demand for more and more multimedia service delivery capabilities. So much did usage impact the market that revenue from streaming video services is expected to reach $124.57B by 2025 at a CAGR of 19.10%. Service providers have little choice but to improve in the performance of their networks to deliver a competitive and cost-effective platform to meet this demand. Lenovo embraces this technological challenge and by incorporating the latest technology updates from Intel. This ensures that our customers are prepared to participate in the latest market trends.

Smart City Applications

Capitalizing on the Internet of Things trend, city managers also recognize the opportunity to improve the livability and visitor experience of their communities. The profile of a city plays a role in its ability to attract new companies to maintain regional prosperity. A host of benefits can be derived from IoT in the context of Smart Cities not the least of which include: traffic and resources management, visitor engagement and public safety. The Smart City market is expected to exceed a trillion dollars of spend by 2023. No city manager should ignore the importance of raising the profile of their city with the latest tools available to the Smart City enabled by communications networks.

A plan forward

These new 2^nd Generation Intel Xeon Scalable SKUs deliver additional customer value with increased performance and industry leading frequency at price points customers require for large scale deployment. Lenovo will ensure that all existing Intel Select Solutions will be updated to support these SKUs and will continue to work with the leaders in industry to ensure that Communications Service Providers around the world are able to serve their customers with solutions that enable economical expansion of services using the right technology to suit their needs.

Intel and Xeon are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries.