HPE Juniper Networking introduces new PTX routers for AI data centers

HPE Juniper Networking has introduced two new router families based on the Express 5 network chip: the PTX12000 (modular) and PTX10002 (fixed-form). The devices are designed for use in data centers of providers and hyperscalers that require high bandwidth, large packet buffers, and low latency. The vendor is primarily targeting AI data centers.

The PTX12000 series offers two new modular platforms with up to 518.4 Tbit/s capacity, with the PTX12012 series featuring 12 slots, 32 height units, up to 36 × 3 kW power supplies, and a maximum weight of 772 kg. The PTX12008 series delivers a maximum throughput of 345.6 Tbit/s in 8 slots and 22 height units with a maximum weight of 499 kg and up to 20 × 3 kW power supplies. This makes both models true heavyweights, not only in terms of weight.

The top-of-the-line PTX12012 provides up to 648 × 800G ports. The largest line card offers 43.2 Tbit/s throughput with 54 × 800G ports, as well as QSFP-DD and OSFP interfaces. For security on data center interconnections, MACsec encryption with AES-256 and DDoS protection are provided. The routers feature a dual routing engine with a ten-core Intel processor from the Ice Lake-D generation, 256 GByte DDR4 memory, two 400 GByte SSDs, SyncE and 1588 PTP for time synchronization, and a TPM 2.0 chip. Cooling is handled by three removable fan modules, each with five dual-rotor fans. As a nice gimmick, they feature touchscreen LED displays for showing the status of ports and hot-swappable components.

PTX10002 Series: Compact Fixed-Form Solution

The PTX10002 series is available as a compact fixed-form solution with two height units and a weight of 25.2 kg. The PTX10002-36QDD model offers 28.8 Tbit/s capacity, 36 × 800G or 72 × 400G ports, 32 GByte packet buffer, and is powered by two 3 kW power supplies. Intel's Ice Lake-D with ten CPU cores is also used here.

Both series support common protocols in data centers and provider networks such as EVPN, VXLAN, MPLS, ECN, PFC, Multi-Chassis LAG, RoCEv2, and adaptive load balancing. Additionally, Segment Routing v6 (SRv6) or RSVP are available, including Traffic Engineering (SR-TE/RSVP-TE), Fast Re-Route (FRR), and TI-LFA. The proprietary Junos OS Evolved, based on a Linux kernel, is used as the unified operating system.

The new routers aim for the highest scalability, energy efficiency, and flexibility for modern, AI-driven network infrastructures. HPE Juniper has not yet made any statements regarding prices.

(mma)