About ALLEGRO ‘Agile ultra low energy secure networks’
ALLEGRO aims at designing and validating a novel end-to-end sliceable, reliable, and secure architecture for next-generation optical networks, achieving high transmission/switching capacity
- with 10 Tb/s for optoelectronic devices and 1 Pbt/s for optical fiber systems
- low power consumption/cost
- with > 25% savings
- and secure infrastructures and data transfers.
The architecture relies on key enabling innovations:
- smart, coherent transceivers exploiting multi-band & multi-fiber technologies for P2P and P2MP applications, based on e.g., high-speed plasmonic modulators/photodetectors and programmable silicon photonic integrated waveguide meshes;
- loss-less, energy-efficient transparent photonic integrated optical switches, eliminating OEO conversions, e.g., with on-chip amplification in the O-band for datacom applications;
- a consistent approach to security, in terms of functional/ protocol architectures and communications, further improving QKD systems, enabling optical channel co-existence and researching on quantum-resistant (post-quantum) cryptography, developing systems based on physically unclonable functions; and
- a scalable AI/ML assisted control and orchestration system, responsible for autonomous networking, dynamic and constrained service provisioning, function placement and resource allocation, leveraging devices increasing programmability and overall network softwarization.
To achieve the target objectives and KPIs, ALLEGRO has defined a clear methodology ending in ambitious demonstrators. The consortium includes a good balance of industry and research/academia with know-how in complementary fields.
The results of ALLEGRO will be disseminated in leading conferences, events, and high-impact journals. They will have a concrete and measurable economic and social impact, contributing towards achieving key European objectives, reinforcing European leadership and digital sovereignty in the ongoing digital and green transition.
Project News
🚀 ALLEGRO: Shaping the Future of Network Architecture 🚀
The next decade of networking demands a disruptive approach—one that seamlessly integrates access, metro, and data center networks. ALLEGRO is pioneering a visionary architecture designed to redefine scalability, efficiency, and resilience in large-scale...
🚀 Revolutionizing Access Networks with ALLEGRO 🚀
The future of network infrastructure demands scalability, efficiency, and convergence. ALLEGRO is leading the way with a Long-Reach Access Network that integrates access and metro-edge networks through coherent PON and SDM-DWDM technologies.🔹 IP Router Bypass:...
Advancing Backbone Networks: ALLEGRO’s Path to 800G and Beyond
At ALLEGRO, we are pushing the boundaries of backbone network capabilities by exploring next-generation high-capacity transmission solutions. Our work focuses on numerical analyses and experimental validation, when possible, to upgrade current 400G solutions toward...
🚀 Advancing High-Capacity Optical Networks with ALLEGRO 🚀
We are excited to share ALLEGRO D2.1, focusing on the definition of use cases, requirements, architecture, and demo environments for next-generation optical networks!📡 Meeting the Bandwidth ChallengeWith the increasing demand for high-capacity networks, C+L-band...
🚀 Advancing WSS Compatibility with the ALLEGRO Data Plane 🚀
We're excited to share a high-performance architecture that seamlessly integrates with current WSS technologies and the ALLEGRO data plane!🔍 Key Functionalities:✅ Efficient downstream traffic management—SCs are broadcast via power splitters and selectively passed by...
🚀 Enhancing Optical Network Efficiency with ALLEGRO 🚀
As optical networks evolve, the need for efficient WSS architectures becomes critical. In the ALLEGRO project we are developing a system that optimizes signal routing and enhances network flexibility.🔹 Input WSS – Directs all SCs from incoming roots to a dedicated...
Advancing Metro Networks with Adaptive S-BVTs
The evolution of metro networks continues to build on coherent single-carrier transceiver technologies, but the future lies in adaptive S-BVT transceivers powered by multicarrier technologies.Key innovations include:âś… VCSEL-based S-BVTs: Exploring new transmitter and...
🌍 Scaling Optical Networks for the Future 🌍
As demand for higher-capacity networks grows, achieving a flatter, more efficient data plane is crucial to reducing both cost and power consumption per bit. However, with new services emerging over the next decade, spectral resources in some fibre links will become...
Evolutionary Architecture: Shaping the Future of Networks
Over the next five to ten years, we foresee a significant evolution in the data plane architecture, blending existing technologies with innovative new architectures.Our vision focuses on advancing network segments across Access, Metro, Backbone, and Intra-Datacentre...
 Access Network Evolution: Shaping the Next Decade
At ALLEGRO, we’re envisioning the transformation of Access Networks—spanning Radio Access Networks (RAN) and fixed access—over the next 5–10 years.🔑 Key trends driving this evolution include:Packet-switched fronthaul/backhaul: Transitioning to cloudified...