AmLight

AmLight
Name	AmLight
Formation	2009
Type	Non-profit consortium
Headquarters	São Paulo
Region served	Americas

AmLight AmLight is an international research and education optical networking initiative connecting institutions across the Americas, Europe, and Africa to support high-performance computing, data-intensive science, and collaboration. It links universities, national laboratories, research networks, and intergovernmental organizations to enable projects in astronomy, genomics, climate science, and physics. The project coordinates fiber routes, optical wavelengths, and network engineering to provide low-latency, high-bandwidth connectivity for the global research and education community.

Overview

AmLight operates as a transcontinental research and education network linking sites in North America, South America, and the Caribbean with connectivity to Europe and Africa, facilitating collaborations among institutions such as University of São Paulo, Florida International University, National Science Foundation, Brazilian National Research Network, Internet2, and RedCLARA. The initiative provides dedicated optical circuits, wavelength services, and packet-based links for major scientific programs including collaborations with Large Hadron Collider, Square Kilometre Array, Event Horizon Telescope, National Institutes of Health, and NOAA. Stakeholders include research networks, supercomputing centers, and observatories like Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, European Organization for Nuclear Research, and National Optical Astronomy Observatory.

History

AmLight traces origins to collaborative efforts among Internet2, National Science Foundation, and regional research and education networks in the 2000s, formalizing new undersea and terrestrial agreements in the late 2000s and 2010s with partners including RedCLARA, RNP (Brazil), CENIC, AARNet, and CANARIE. Early deployments supported projects tied to the Tropical Atlantic Network, Virtual Observatory, and genomics consortia partnering with Wellcome Trust and National Human Genome Research Institute. Subsequent phases expanded backbone capacity via submarine cable leases and dark fiber arrangements involving consortiums such as Telxius, Seaborn Networks, Hibernia Networks, and regional carriers in Brazil, Chile, and Panama. Milestones include upgrades for the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, transoceanic links for the Pan-American Advanced Studies Institute, and logistical coordination with agencies like Mercosur science initiatives and UNESCO programs.

Network Infrastructure and Technology

AmLight’s technical architecture integrates dense wavelength-division multiplexing equipment, optical amplifiers, and route protection using infrastructure from vendors and carriers including Ciena, Cisco Systems, Infinera, and regional providers. Core components deploy on submarine systems and terrestrial metro rings that interconnect points of presence at facilities such as Florida International University, University of Miami, Rede Nacional de Ensino e Pesquisa, and international exchange points like LINX, AMS-IX, and IX.br. The network supports 10G, 100G, and higher-speed lambda services, software-defined networking using controllers influenced by OpenFlow, ONOS, and OpenDaylight, as well as perfSONAR-based performance monitoring adopted by ESnet, GÉANT, and RNP. Security and identity federations leverage integrations with InCommon, eduGAIN, and research identity providers tied to CERN and National Center for Supercomputing Applications.

Governance and Funding

Governance of AmLight involves consortium agreements among regional research networks, universities, and funding agencies including National Science Foundation, FAPESP, CAPES, and international programs from European Commission instruments and bilateral treaties with ministries in Brazil and Chile. An advisory board with representatives from Internet2, RedCLARA, RNP (Brazil), CERN, and national research agencies sets technical and policy direction, while operational oversight is provided by engineering teams at host institutions such as Florida International University and University of São Paulo. Funding sources combine grant awards, in-kind contributions from carriers like Telefônica Brasil and Viatel, and project-based sponsorships from organizations including National Institutes of Health and philanthropic partners like Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

Research and Education Applications

AmLight enables high-throughput data transfers for astronomy projects such as the Event Horizon Telescope and Vera C. Rubin Observatory, climate and oceanography collaborations with NOAA and NASA, genomics consortia partnering with Broad Institute and Wellcome Sanger Institute, and particle physics collaborations tied to CERN and Fermilab. It supports distributed computing bridges to supercomputers at Argonne National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and cloud resources from Amazon Web Services research grants, facilitating large-scale data movement for collaborations supported by Horizon 2020 and NSF Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure. Educational initiatives connect universities for remote instrumentation, virtual laboratories, and collaborative curricula with programs run by Carnegie Mellon University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and regional centers of excellence.

Partnerships and Collaborations

AmLight maintains strategic partnerships with continental and intercontinental research and education networks such as RedCLARA, Internet2, GÉANT, ESnet, CUDI, and REUNA, and collaborates with submarine infrastructure providers like Seaborn Networks and Telxius. Scientific collaborations extend to observatories, laboratories, and projects including Square Kilometre Array Organization, Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration, Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) Corporation, and consortia funded by National Science Foundation programs and European Research Council. The project also engages with regional governments, regulatory authorities such as ANATEL, and international organizations including UNESCO and Inter-American Development Bank for capacity building, training, and broadband research initiatives.

Category:Research networks