Micas Networks will have a significant presence at the OCP Global Summit happening this week. To find out more about the company and what they have planned for the event, VMblog spoke to Max Simmons, CMO of Micas Networks.
VMblog: Please give us an overview of Micas Networks.
Micas Networks is an inventive open networking solutions provider focused on delivering agile, reliable and cost-effective technology. Our products include whitebox switches powered by the flexible and robust open-sourced Software for Open Networking in Cloud (SONiC) network operating system, enabling enhanced customization and scalability. We give customers choices in their data center switching demands by providing a portfolio of strong whitebox switching products and the ability to support different network operating system choices. Additionally, Micas is focused on delivering unparalleled support with the goal of expediting the transition toward open choices in disaggregation.
We collaborate with prominent data centers and cloud service providers to jointly develop state-of-the-art networking products that align seamlessly and are customized with their specific use case requirements and growing needs. We strive to deliver fast time to market efforts and to shrink development cycles down to nine months while working with leading technologies. The Micas booth at the 2023 OCP Global Summit will feature three leading designs using Broadcom ASICs that we developed with this fast time-to-market methodology.
Additionally, we have secured factory capacity in Penang, Malaysia and are in the process of ramping production there. Our goal is to have the first production switches off the line at the start of OCP.
VMblog: What are the primary markets served with your solutions? What is the pain point driving the need for these solutions?
Micas provides open networking solutions tailored to the requirements of data center environments. The primary focus is toward cloud-based requirements – whether focused on large hyperscale accounts or the broader base of enterprise customers.
Open networking offers flexibility, application choice, broader feature options, and an improvement in the total cost of ownership. With open networking, customers can choose their hardware and NOS requirements separately and have a greater degree of freedom.
Micas is the right choice because we believe in unlocking the network and allowing customers the opportunity to fuel their own future. We support customers through their journey to adopt open networking, striving to deliver fast time-to-market and excellent quality products with low failure rates. These efforts include customizing hardware, adding NOS features, having a deep-dive architecture discussion prior to starting the journey, and making sure to peel the onion to deliver a successful experience when migrating to an open networking ecosystem.
VMblog: What is a key differentiator for Micas compared to other companies offering open networking solutions?
Micas has three major areas of differentiation: engineering capabilities, manufacturing/supply line, and the open networking transition enabling. One critical differentiator is our ability to help customers through the transition from locked to unlocked networks. We engage with customers on their architectural requirements including hardware and NOS needs, and then jointly design an approach to the conversion that will deliver success. With one recent customer, we architected a three-stage plan to move them to whitebox hardware and SONIC operating systems. With each stage, the customer was supported through implementation to ensure the desired results. The open networking transition has been slowed by failed adoption attempts. Micas aims to successfully help customers achieve their unlocked networking goals.
VMblog: You recently announced a distribution agreement with EPS Global. Talk about the importance of that agreement. Is there anything you’d like to say about your overall channel strategy?
Micas believes EPS is a marketing leader in data center networking. They have an excellent sales team and an established worldwide footprint spanning the Americas, EMEA and Asia. This agreement partners Micas with a leader who can help introduce our whitebox switching products and offerings to a broad set of customers. The EPS team has excellent technical competence and their approach to customers-first aligns well with our philosophy. We look forward to ramping channel programs with them to grow and expand the available market.
Our goal is to add additional channel partners who also share the Micas approach to the market. We strive to deliver quality to all our customers.
VMblog: I understand you will have a significant presence at the OCP Global Summit. Tell us about your involvement with the show.
OCP Global Summit is Micas Networks’ introduction to the market. We believe the event is an excellent ecosystem to engage and seek opportunities for collaboration. To aid that goal, we will have a booth full of leading switching demonstrations and will participate in several speaking sessions. OCP is a great show for learning and sharing with top players from the open networking and disaggregation communities.
The Micas booth will show products ready to ship today with a portfolio of whitebox switches running on SONiC. Additionally, three leading switches featuring Broadcom TH5 ASICs will be showcased in two of them. Here is a list of our demos:
- 51.2T CPO Switch System: A green AI network interconnection
- Distributed Disaggregated Chassis Switch: A high-performance, SONiC-based solution with an AI focus. Based on a Jericho chip.
- CPO box – joint development with Broadcom
- Optical (transceivers/cables)
- Tomahawk 5 / Broadcom: Running in a 4RU, 400GB, 128-port switch
- Aviz Server Rack
- Switching Station: Featuring Micas commercial and whitebox products.
VMblog: What will attendees to OCP take away from visiting your booth and listening to your presentations?
There are three main messages from our OCP efforts.
- Micas is ready to help customers move to an open network environment today with a portfolio of whitebox switches and available NOS offerings.
- Micas is building leading next-generation switches using Broadcom ASICs to support AI/ML acceleration and address power consumption challenges.
- Micas is ready to help customers unlock their networks and fuel the future through our team headquarters in San Jose, CA and support product through manufacturing in Malaysia.
VMblog: Can you give us a preview of what’s in store for Micas over the next year?
We aim to make our company tagline a reality: Open the Network, Fuel the Future. We want to help customers on the journey to data center networking choice, to add value, and to bring about real TCO improvements. Over the next year, we plan to focus on building customer confidence in our ability to help them achieve their unlocked networking goals.
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