从人工智能到可持续发展，为什么我们最新的数据中心采用400G网络

At Dropbox, AI-powered tools and features are quickly transforming the way our customers find, organize, and understand their data. Dropbox Dash brings AI-powered universal search to all your apps, browser tabs, and cloud docs, while Dropbox AI can summarize and answer questions about the content of your files. To meet the bandwidth requirements of new and future AI workloads—and stay committed to our sustainability goals—the Dropbox networking team recently designed and launched our first data center architecture using highly efficient, cutting edge 400 gigabit per second (400G) ethernet technology.

在Dropbox，基于人工智能的工具和功能正在快速改变我们的客户查找、组织和理解数据的方式。Dropbox Dash将基于人工智能的通用搜索引擎引入到您的所有应用程序、浏览器标签和云文档中，而Dropbox AI可以对文件内容进行摘要和回答问题。为了满足新的和未来的人工智能工作负载的带宽要求，并坚持我们的可持续发展目标，Dropbox网络团队最近设计并推出了我们的第一个数据中心架构，采用高效、尖端的每秒400千兆位（400G）以太网技术。

400G uses a combination of advanced technologies—such as digital signal processing chips capable of pulse-amplitude modulation and forward error correction—to achieve four times the data rate of its predecessor, 100G, through a single link. Because a single 400G port along with optics is more cost efficient and consumes less power than four individual 100G ports, adopting 400G has enabled us to effectively quadruple the bandwidth in our newest data center while significantly reducing our power usage and cabling footprint. Our new design also streamlines the way our data centers connect to the network backbone, allowing us to realize further cost and energy savings by consolidating what was previously three separate data center interconnect device roles into one.

400G使用一系列先进技术，如能够进行脉冲幅度调制和前向纠错的数字信号处理芯片，通过单个链路实现了其前身100G四倍的数据传输速率。由于单个400G端口和光模块比四个独立的100G端口更具成本效益且功耗更低，采用400G使我们能够在最新的数据中心中有效地将带宽增加四倍，同时显著减少功耗和布线占用。我们的新设计还简化了数据中心与网络骨干的连接方式，通过将之前的三个独立数据中心互连设备角色合并为一个，进一步实现了成本和能源的节约。

400G is a relatively new technology, and has not been as widely adopted by the industry as 100G—though that’s beginning to change. In this story, we’ll discuss why we chose to embark on our 400G journey ahead of the pack, review...