17 Mar 2026
12:30 - 14:00
Expo Theater II
AI-driven growth and power-hungry GPU infrastructure are fueling the rapid expansion of hyperscale and modular distributed data centers worldwide. Data center interconnect (DCI) is now the fastest-growing segment of the network, growing over 50% annually. In parallel, scale across applications are emerging to scale XPU clusters and backend networks beyond the physical limits of a single data center. This panel will explore the key trends, challenges, and opportunities in delivering scalable, cost-effective optical transport solutions to meet today’s DCI and scale across networking demands and prepare for tomorrow’s explosive growth.
Moderator
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Tim Doiron
Vice President, Solution Marketing, Nokia, United States
Panelists
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Francis Ferguson
Distinguished Engineer, Lumen Technologies, United States
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Kevin Croussore
Optical Network Engineer, Google, United States
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Rodney Dellinger
Webscale Chief Technology Officer, Nokia, United States
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Jeff Rahn
Optical Network Engineer, Meta, United States
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Todd McWhirter
Senior Manager, Network Architecture, Zayo, United States