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 News on Publication “Field trial demonstration of AI-engine driven cross-domain rerouting and optimisation in dynamic optical networks”
Abstract An AI-engine-driven cross-domain orchestrator has been implemented on a multi-domain field trial testbed with demonstrations of deploying end-to-end services with a 20% improvement in BER performance, enabled by the developed flex-grid multi-channel QoT...
ALLEGRO News on Publication “Band/Multi-Fiber Solutions in Optical Metropolitan Area Network”
Abstract—The tremendous traffic growth generated by video, cloud, future 5G and beyond services is compelling network operators to re-think network architectures to ensure flexible and efficient service support. Filterless optical networking based on...
ALLEGRO News on Publication “Hardware Fingerprint Authentication in Optical Networks Using Anomaly Detection”
Abstract: We propose and demonstrate a hardware fingerprint authentication model in optical networks using anomaly detection, where the recognition accuracy of 97.53% and miss alarm rate of 0 are achieved over 20-km single-mode fiber channel....
ALLEGRO News on Publication “Toward Optimal Orchestration of Time-shared QKD Infrastructure”
Abstract Orchestrating Time-multiplexed QKD (Quantum Key Distribution) infrastructure is a complex task which, properly performed, can substantially reduce QKD service deployment costs. This work provides the basis to orchestrate near-optimal key exchange routing and...
ALLEGRO News on Publication “Software-defined, programmable L1 dataplane: demonstration of fabric hardware resilience using optical switches”
Abstract We propose a programmable optical fabric design for Data Center networks that extends SDN to L1. We present experiments on our HPC/ML testbed leveraging the programmable network to automatically failover from hardware or software failures....
ALLEGRO News on Publication “Optical Identification for User Authentication in Quantum Key Distribution Systems
Abstract We propose a novel technique for user authentication in fiber-based quantum key distribution systems. Practical implementation using coherent optical frequency-domain reflectometry is described and authentication security assessed....
ALLEGRO News on Publication “256 GBd Single-Carrier Transmission over 100km SSMF by a Plasmonic IQ Modulator”
Abstract A plasmonic IQ modulator is used to demonstrate 160 GBd 64QAM with achievable data-rates of 774 Gbit/s in a single-carrier back-to-back experiment. Over a 100 km fibre link it achieves 256 GBd 4QAM and 160 GBd 16QAM with rates of 410 and 600 Gbit/s....
ALLEGRO News on Publication “Modulation Enhancement Through Resonant Microwave-Photonic Co-Design”
Abstract Above 3 dB modulation enhancement is demonstrated by cointegrating a resonant microwave circuit with a lumped-element plasmonic modulator. The resonant circuit can compensate electronic driver roll-offs and enable increased transmitter bandwidths....
ALLEGRO News on Publication “, “Field-Trial Demonstration of ML Deployments in Optical Networks Using Telemetry and AI Engine”
Abstract We present an AI engine built on OpenFaas utilizing distributed databases and network telemetry to monitor and manage multiple ML models. Two use cases of ML applications in optical networks are demonstrated over the field-trial testbed, showcasing the...
ALLEGRO News on Publication “Experimental Demonstration of In-Field 400G Coherent Metro-Access Convergence”
Abstract: We present an experimental demonstration and analytical scaling of optically amplified metro combined with PON access transmission over installed fibers, using coherent 50GBaud PM-16QAM and discuss the technical feasibility of future 400G metro-access...