Singapore’s push to advance scientific research and innovation has received a boost with the support of optical networking solutions from Ciena. SingAREN, the Singapore Advanced Research and Education Network, is leveraging Ciena’s 6500 optical platform to power high-speed, low-latency infrastructure that supports the country’s growing data demands from artificial intelligence (AI), genomics, and big data applications.
SingAREN plays a key role in supporting Singapore’s Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) ecosystem, which has been a central pillar of national development since the 1990s. With Singapore recently ranking 4th globally in the 2024 Global Innovation Index, the emphasis on robust digital infrastructure has become more critical than ever.
Enhancing national research infrastructure
Established in 1997, SingAREN is the sole provider of dedicated local and international network services for Singapore’s research and education community. Its infrastructure underpins the SingAREN Open Exchange (SOE) for high-speed academic connectivity, eduroam for global Wi-Fi roaming access, and FileSender SG for transferring large data files, among other services.
The organisation’s backbone network, powered by Ciena’s 6500 solution and WaveLogic coherent optics, is designed to handle the massive data demands of today’s research needs. According to Associate Professor Francis Lee, Vice President of SingAREN, “Our backbone network, powered by Ciena’s 6500 optical solution, is built to handle the growing demands of AI, genomics, and big data applications—transmitting petabytes of data. To support the advancement of Singapore’s Research, Innovation and Enterprise agenda, our flexible, low-latency network can now seamlessly deliver 10G to 100G connections to member institutions. We continue to push the boundaries of research and innovation, ensuring connectivity is never a limiting factor.”
One example of this in action is SingAREN’s support for robotic telesurgery trials conducted across international boundaries. These projects require extremely low latency and stable, high-bandwidth connections to enable real-time control and collaboration.
SingAREN also connects directly to the National Supercomputing Centre (NSCC), enabling researchers to access high-performance computing (HPC) resources. This is particularly important for genomics projects, which involve processing large-scale data sets. In one initiative, more than 2 petabytes of cancer genomics data were transferred from repositories in the United States to the NSCC via SingAREN’s network to support analysis by the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore.
Preparing for next-generation research demands
Academic research in Singapore is becoming more data-intensive, especially with the rise of AI, machine learning, and cloud computing. SingAREN anticipates that generative and agentic AI will further increase the volume and velocity of research data traffic.
To meet these growing demands, SingAREN is planning several infrastructure upgrades. These include the SLIX 2.5 project, aimed at delivering high-speed and secure connectivity by 2027, and a future-looking SLIX 3.0 vision. This next iteration will incorporate support for quantum-safe networking, AI-driven research, and haptic surgery applications. Other planned improvements include upgrading Points of Presence (PoP) for added resilience, introducing 400G switches, and expanding its cybersecurity threat intelligence sharing network.
Flexible and scalable optical solutions
Ciena’s technology has been integral to enabling SingAREN’s dynamic, on-demand service delivery. The 6500 platform, installed by Ciena’s partner Terrabit Networks, allows SingAREN to adjust to changing network requirements while maintaining efficiency and performance over both short and long distances.
The deployment supports SingAREN’s mission to ensure that network infrastructure never becomes a bottleneck for scientific progress. As Singapore continues to prioritise R&D as a strategic national focus, digital infrastructure providers like Ciena remain central to enabling future growth in science, medicine, and technology.
