Zeptonics to Debut Lowest Latency Switch
![david-snowdon-zeptonics david-snowdon-zeptonics](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_750_463/public/import/IMG/653/223653/david-snowdon-zeptonics-580x358.jpg.webp?itok=0NaYMF1N)
Zeptonics, a new Sydney-based vendor, today announced production of ZeptoMux, a switching device with a latency of around 130 nanoseconds, which it claims is the fastest in the world. It is expected to hit the market by August.
Using an Endace 9.2X2 data acquisition and generation card, Zeptonics measured its latency at 130 nanoseconds in the client–upstream direction, and 123 nanoseconds in the upstream–client direction.
Founded and largely staffed by former quantitative traders and trading system developers, Zeptonics was conceived to solve problems encountered during the principals’ trading careers. It has promised further low-latency solutions to follow.
ZeptoMux was inspired by what founder Matt Hurd says was an overabundance of network switches with high flexibility but not enough low-latency potential. "When designing the ZeptoMux, our engineers stripped out all non-essential functionality and created a streamlined ‘race car' device to replace the broad-purpose ‘sports car' switches currently used by the industry,” Hurd says.
This was done by removing the content addressable memory (CAM) circuitry that allows any port on a switch to communicate with any other port. CAMs substantially affect latency. Without it, this 10GbE 23-to-1 multiplexing switch is optimized for trading applications.
"We remove the need for that, by building a switch in which one port can talk to any of the other 23 clients, and any of the 23 client ports can communicate with the one," says principal Dave Snowdon. "However, the 23 client ports cannot communicate with each other. This allows us to remove the CAM, and speed up the switch enormously. This n-to-1 structure is ideally suited to an exchange or broker's needs, where often this is the desired paradigm: An exchange wants to be able to communicate with JPMorgan or Goldman Sachs, but doesn't want them to be able to talk to each other through the exchange's network."
Because it is not a traditional n-to-n switch, Snowdon points out, it does not carry all of the features of a traditional switch.
ZeptoMux has been in development since June 2011, and Zeptonics has been working since December on manufacturing, reliability, testing, latency optimization and management interfaces. Next out of its lab will be the ZeptoLink, a 50-port layer 1 device with a latency of around five nanoseconds. This electronic patch panel can be used for broadcasting market data, publishing volatilities, reconfiguring connections and performing other time-critical tasks in the trading ecosystem.
Only users who have a paid subscription or are part of a corporate subscription are able to print or copy content.
To access these options, along with all other subscription benefits, please contact info@waterstechnology.com or view our subscription options here: http://subscriptions.waterstechnology.com/subscribe
You are currently unable to print this content. Please contact info@waterstechnology.com to find out more.
You are currently unable to copy this content. Please contact info@waterstechnology.com to find out more.
Copyright Infopro Digital Limited. All rights reserved.
As outlined in our terms and conditions, https://www.infopro-digital.com/terms-and-conditions/subscriptions/ (point 2.4), printing is limited to a single copy.
If you would like to purchase additional rights please email info@waterstechnology.com
Copyright Infopro Digital Limited. All rights reserved.
You may share this content using our article tools. As outlined in our terms and conditions, https://www.infopro-digital.com/terms-and-conditions/subscriptions/ (clause 2.4), an Authorised User may only make one copy of the materials for their own personal use. You must also comply with the restrictions in clause 2.5.
If you would like to purchase additional rights please email info@waterstechnology.com
More on Trading Tech
Lucrative market data deal with LSEG fuels Tradeweb’s record quarter
The fixed-income trading venue realized gains from its 2023 deal with the London Stock Exchange Group, amid soaring revenues from market data providers industry-wide.
Is overnight equities trading a fad or the future?
Competition is heating up in US equity markets as more venues look to provide trading from twilight to dawn. But overnight trading has skeptics, and there are technical considerations to address.
We’re running out of datacenters! (But maybe AI can help?)
The IMD Wrap: Datacenter and cloud adoption is being pushed to its limits by AI. Will we simply run out of space and power building AIs before AI figures out how to fix it?
Regis-TR and the Emir Refit blame game
The reporting overhaul was been marred by problems at repositories, prompting calls to stagger future go-live dates.
Ongoing uncertainty, volatility force new tech approach to collateral management
With market volatility and geopolitical uncertainty here to stay, Nasdaq’s Gil Guillaumey argues that firms must rethink their approach to collateral management.
What does it really mean to be a mid-tier OMS?
With Clearwater Analytics’ proposed $1.5 billion buy of Enfusion earlier this month, the market for order management systems appears to be evolving.
Agentic AI and big questions for the technologists
Waters Wrap: Much the same way that GenAI dominated tech discussions over the last two years, the road ahead will feature a lot of agentic AI talk—and CIOs and CTOs better be prepared.
Bloomberg offers auto-RFQ chat feed—but banks want a bigger prize
Traders hope for unfettered access to IB chat so they can build their own AI-enhanced trading tools