Latest initiative brings the value of FPGAs to network function virtualization

Altera has joined the Open Platform for NFV (OPNFV), a community-led, industry-supported, open-source reference platform for network function virtualization (NFV). NPV uses IT virtualization technologies to virtualize entire classes of network node functions into building blocks that may be connected, or chained, to create communication services. Altera will join working groups inside the OPNFV to enable expand the use of FPGA accelerators in virtual machines running different software and processes on top of industry-standard, high-volume servers, storage and cloud computing infrastructure. “FPGAs can be used to ‘super-charge’ virtual machine applications while saving on power, making them an excellent fit for the NFV industry,” said Francis Chow, vice president and general manager, Communications Business Unit, Altera. “At the same time, FPGAs can reduce capital and operational expenditures, speed service and improve product introduction times for NFV applications, providing a more efficient solution.” FPGAs act as accelerators by offloading compute workloads, using less power than general-purpose graphics processing units (GPGPUs) and central processor units (CPUs) —which helps data centers run cooler. FPGA- and SoC-based solutions are already accelerating servers in the data centre in search and convolutional neural networks applications. “OPNFV is about collaboration from a diverse group of players from across the industry to craft an open platform that we can all use to accelerate NFV” said Heather Kirksey, director, OPNFV. “We are excited to welcome new silver member, Altera, who is poised to help us implement the goals of open source NFV." Open Platform for NFV is a carrier-grade, integrated, open source reference platform intended to accelerate the introduction of new products and services using NFV. It brings together service providers, vendors and users to collaborate in an open forum on advancing the state-of-the-art in NFV, says the company.