ABSTRACT
Wireless devices capable of working at terahertz (THz) frequencies are currently in development. The performance of these devices in terms of data throughput are expected to be an order of magnitude above existing wireless devices operating at sub-10 GHz frequencies. With bit rates exceeding 10 Gigabits per second, this presents the opportunity for these devices to operate in a data centre environment. In existing data centre networks, optical technologies are implemented for the majority of the infrastructure. Optical networks can achieve high bit rates and reliability, making them highly desirable for data centre networks. These types of links are point-to-point in nature, causing data centre architectures and network topologies to be developed around this physical constraint. Introducing THz wireless links to these networks will present a paradigm shift in data centre network architectures. This chapter details the possible types of data centre network architectures that are required in order to facilitate optimal utilization of THz links. These architecture frameworks are all based on software-defined networking (SDN) principles, promoting automated configuration and self-orchestration of the wireless links and the data centre workloads operating on them. This chapter also describes the creation of virtual network functions (VNF’s) designed to effectively utilize a network of SDN-enabled THz links in conjunction with a traditional copper and optical data centre network. This presents the potential for THz links to create a paradigm shift in network topology and architecture, as SDN controllers now have the ability to re-configure data centre networks with THz links dynamically based on performance requirements. A feat previously not possible due to the fixed nature of wired copper and optical links.
