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The underlying connectivity needs will be familiar to most providers: high capacity, predictable performance, service assurance, and interoperability. What’s changing is where those capabilities are needed, how services are delivered across multiple networks, and how customers will evaluate them.
New Applications for Established Carrier Ethernet Capabilities
AI training and inference place different demands on connectivity. Distributed training requires sustained throughput and predictable performance between computing locations, while inference is extending AI infrastructure into regional data centers, enterprise environments, and edge locations. As deployments expand, providers may find new applications for Carrier Ethernet in data center interconnection, regional training and fine-tuning, model replication, and enterprise-to-cloud connectivity.
Network performance remains critical. Committed capacity, frame delay, delay variation, frame loss, and resilience all affect the reliability of distributed workloads. Carrier Ethernet’s standardized service definitions and measurable performance objectives provide a useful foundation for addressing these needs, particularly when customers require consistent service characteristics across locations.
Delivering those services across multiple providers also introduces operational challenges. Mplify’s Lifecycle Service Orchestration (LSO) APIs support automated qualification, quoting, ordering, and lifecycle management, helping providers reduce manual processes and support more flexible Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) offerings.
Carrier Ethernet Certification Is Evolving for AI
Mplify has played a central role in developing Carrier Ethernet standards and certification, establishing a common framework for evaluating services against industry-defined requirements. Today, more than 450 Carrier Ethernet for Business certifications recognize services and technologies independently validated against Mplify’s standards.
Mplify is now extending that work to address the connectivity characteristics of specific AI workloads. The first planned profile, Carrier Ethernet for AI Training, will focus on sustained high-throughput traffic, measurable service performance, and operational observability. Certification testing for the AI training profile is expected to begin in 2027, with the Carrier Ethernet for AI Inference profile expected later in the 2027. Additional capabilities are under consideration as AI applications and network requirements develop.
The work leading up to those testing milestones matters. Service providers bring practical knowledge of network operations, customer expectations, and the challenges of delivering services across different environments. Their involvement in developing standards and certification requirements can help ensure the resulting frameworks reflect real deployment conditions.
Put Your Carrier Ethernet Certification Back to Work
For providers that previously earned Carrier Ethernet certification, much of the work required to demonstrate conformance has already been completed. Those investments remain relevant as Mplify builds on its established standards and certification framework.
Eligible former members can bring their certifications up to date by rejoining Mplify. Upon reinstating membership, organizations receive a complimentary upgrade to Carrier Ethernet for Business certification without retesting. Existing test results remain valid, and eligible certifications automatically transition to the current program. Rejoining also restores visibility in the Mplify Certification Registry and access to updated certification marks for customer communications and marketing.
The value of returning to Mplify extends beyond certification. Membership connects providers with the technical work, industry relationships, and discussions that will influence how Carrier Ethernet develops for AI and other applications.
Why Industry Participation Matters Now
Mplify’s Carrier Ethernet for AI certification programs are still in development, and that makes the period before testing begins particularly relevant for service providers. Requirements are being defined, implementation approaches are being examined, and industry participants are contributing experience from their own networks and customer deployments.
Through Mplify’s technical committees and projects, members can contribute to this work and follow the development of standards, implementation guidance, and certification criteria. That involvement provides useful context for decisions about service portfolios, network capabilities, and future investments.
Membership also brings providers into contact with organizations working across the digital infrastructure ecosystem. Member Summits, Workdays, technical projects, and other collaborative activities create opportunities to exchange experience with service providers, technology suppliers, cloud and data center operators, and potential business partners. These relationships are particularly relevant as customers look for connectivity services that extend across multiple networks and geographic markets.
Now is the time for service providers to get involved in shaping the next generation of Carrier Ethernet. With standards and certification requirements still in development, Mplify members can contribute their expertise, gain insight into the direction of the work, and build relationships with industry partners as they prepare for emerging market opportunities.
Be Part of Carrier Ethernet’s Next Chapter
Carrier Ethernet has adapted to changing enterprise connectivity needs for more than two decades. The growth of distributed AI infrastructure presents another opportunity to apply its established capabilities, supported by new standards, automation, and certification programs.
For former members, returning to Mplify offers both a practical way to update existing certifications and an opportunity to reconnect with the industry work underway today. With Carrier Ethernet for AI development progressing toward 2027 testing, this is a useful time to consider how participation could support future service plans and business priorities.
Learn More
- Connect with Mplify to Discuss Membership Opportunities.
- Watch the panel, Evolving Certification for the NaaS for AI Era: Carrier Ethernet, SASE and Beyond.
- Learn more about Mplify Carrier Ethernet Certification for services and technologies.
- Listen to our recent Mplify podcast with RAD: Carrier Ethernet: Built for the AI Era