Unlike previous generations that focused on peak speeds, Wi-Fi 8 is all about reliability, intelligence, and context-aware networking. It’s designed to deliver ultra-high reliability, deterministic performance, and smarter traffic management—even in congested environments like busy homes, offices, and airports.

Here are some key takeaways from the white paper:

• Optimized Networking: Wi-Fi 8 improves spectrum efficiency, latency, power consumption, and range through advanced modulation and coding schemes.
• Deterministic Performance: New mechanisms ensure consistent and reliable data delivery with low latency, ideal for gaming, virtual meetings, and industrial applications.
• Stronger Security & Privacy: Enhanced encryption and protection for management frames make Wi-Fi 8 the most secure generation yet.
• AI Enabling: Wi-Fi 8 supports context-aware applications like Wi-Fi sensing and proximity ranging, paving the way for smarter homes and workplaces.

The white paper also outlines real-world use cases—from immersive XR collaboration and smart enterprise environments to AI-powered meeting rooms and connected homes. Whether you’re a gamer, a remote worker, or an enterprise IT manager, Wi-Fi 8 promises a more seamless and intelligent wireless experience.

Intel’s white paper doesn’t just scratch the surface—it provides a detailed technology overview, including multi-AP coordination, spectrum optimization, and power efficiency improvements. It’s a must-read for anyone looking to understand how Wi-Fi 8 will transform connectivity in the AI era.

The white paper is now available for download. Don’t miss your chance to explore the future of wireless networking with the industry’s most thorough guide to Wi-Fi 8.

Data is the currency of modern workloads, from AI to analytics and more. Based on a recent industry report, the global data center market is expected to grow to 1,008.65 billion US dollars (USD) by 2034, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.24 percent from 2025 to 2034.[1] It’s no surprise then that most businesses are moving quickly to keep up with this demand by updating their servers with modern processors, memory, and storage.

If you’re one of those organizations, don’t shortchange your network infrastructure in your digital transformation journey. Today, enterprise-generated data is created and processed across both traditional centralized data centers and the cloud, which means your network adapters could become a bottleneck if they aren’t equipped to handle low-latency, distributed computing needs. Performance is no longer the only factor to consider. With so much data crossing your networking threshold, scalability, reliability, and security are paramount. And of course, you need to think about the bottom line, especially when you’re tasked to do more with less.

Taking these challenges into account, the following five key connectivity considerations, along with readily available solutions, can help you achieve your data center optimization objectives.

1. Achieving consistent, low-latency performance

Despite the rise of AI, the demand for high-performance data centers is mainly driven by other causes, including growing data volumes, increasingly complex enterprise applications, and the continued growth of cloud computing. These factors, along with ongoing digital transformation initiatives, demonstrate the need for robust infrastructure that can support demanding initiatives beyond those associated solely with advanced AI. To address these demanding workloads, you can deploy servers built on advanced CPUs, like Intel® Xeon® 6 processors. But how do you also ensure your network infrastructure is up to par?

Pairing servers built on modern processors with high-performance network adapters and efficient network protocols can help optimize quality of service (QoS) for fast, reliable Ethernet connectivity. With network adapters that excel in minimizing latency, you can ensure the consistent, reliable performance needed for your demanding applications.

Another way to boost performance is to use Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) to reduce work handled by the processor. RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCE) v2 and Internet Wide Area RDMA Protocol (iWARP) can help offload tasks from the CPU during data transfers between systems.[2]

2. Ensuring reliability and compatibility

Don’t let your networking infrastructure be the weakest link in your data center. You could deploy the most reliable servers on the market and still waste valuable time and money troubleshooting downtime if your network adapters aren’t built to keep up.

The same goes for compatibility. Network adapters that can’t interoperate with previous-generation adapters or the rest of your infrastructure can inevitably lead to more costly downtime, troubleshooting, and headaches. This is particularly true for infrastructure modernization, which can be complex and disruptive if your adapter software drivers are not compatible with your existing prior-generation devices.

A better approach would be to deploy adapters with dependable failover mechanisms and other features that help ensure your network can handle disruptions without significantly impacting business-critical workloads.

You can also save yourself hours of planning, troubleshooting, and compromising by choosing solutions that come with validation, assuring comprehensive interoperability across a broad ecosystem of servers and switches. The Intel® Ethernet E830 and E610 Controllers and Network Adapters provide those benefits because they are rigorously tested for interoperability and compatibility, with extensive conformance testing and comprehensive operating system support. Additionally, both adapters offer software drivers with backward compatibility to enable consistent deployment across product generations.

3. Improving scalability and flexibility

With the explosion of data and the rapid growth of evolving technologies like 5G Virtualized Radio Access Network (vRAN), you need a network infrastructure that can meet your needs today and into the future with scalability and flexibility. For example, if your infrastructure can’t scale efficiently, you might run into performance and latency bottlenecks as you try to roll out new applications and services. Without flexibility, you could find yourself reconfiguring and redeploying adapters every time you need to adjust your infrastructure to meet changing needs.

Consider the flexibility and cost savings offered by the higher port density of the Intel Ethernet family of controllers and network adapters. For example, the Intel Ethernet E830 Network Adapter offers a wide variety of configuration choices, including 1 x 200 gigabit Ethernet (GbE), 2 x 100GbE, 8 x 25GbE, 8 x 10GbE, 2 x 25GbE, 2 x 10GbE, and 2 x 1GbE ports in a single adapter. You can use the Ethernet Port Configuration Tool (EPCT) to reconfigure the number of ports and port speeds as often as needed without revalidation, which simplifies port management. Higher port density on one adapter reduces hardware costs compared to buying multiple lower-density adapters. That’s a big advantage over other network adapters with lower port densities and more complex management schemes.

4. Strengthening security

You could deploy the industry’s highest-performing and most flexible network adapters but still regret your decision if those adapters open the door to security breaches. Loss of data or confidential information could cost your business dearly from remediation costs, downtime, and damage to your reputation. Look for network adapters that support modern cryptographic security features and a hardware root of trust that adds resilient protection against supply-chain attacks, unauthorized access, and cyberattacks.

The Intel Ethernet E830 and E610 Controllers and Network Adapters, for example, both meet Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-3 Level 1 requirements and support secure boot and secure firmware updates compliant with Commercial National Security Algorithm (CNSA) 1.0 to provide resilient protection against unauthorized access and cyberattacks. They also offer device and firmware attestation, which protects firmware using a verifiable certificate chain and security-enabled measurement communication to help protect businesses from supply-chain attacks.

5. Improving total cost of ownership (TCO)

Performance, power consumption, and cooling costs all add up over time. According to a Goldman Sachs report, power demand from data centers is projected to increase by 50 percent by 2027, and by as much as 165 percent by the end of the decade.[3] If your data center infrastructure doesn’t operate as an integrated, well-oiled machine, you might see your overall operating costs rise precipitously, regardless of how low your initial capital costs were.

Efficiency in data center deployments is increasingly driving down costs. Features like high port-density hardware minimize initial capital expenditures (CapEx) by requiring fewer units to achieve the same levels of connectivity. In addition, selecting components with low power consumption directly curtails ongoing operating expenses (OpEx). Robust manageability and tools such as EPCT not only streamline management but also contribute to lower OpEx. The synergy of pairing these efficient network adapters with appropriately scaled servers is key to unlocking a lower total cost of ownership (TCO).[4]

Meeting data center demands with Intel Ethernet

The Intel Ethernet family of controllers and network adapters helps businesses achieve their digital transformation goals by offering high performance with low-latency data transfer between systems. That means your data center is ready to take on demanding workloads without breaking a sweat.

Need flexibility? The Intel Ethernet E830 and E610 Controllers and Network Adapters offer scalable architectures, comprehensive security and manageability features, small form factors, and a broad range of port-configuration options. Intel Ethernet E830 Network Adapters, with 200 Gbps maximum throughput and broad port density that includes the unique 8 x 25GbE configuration, are ideal for optimized, higher bandwidth data-plane operations. Intel Ethernet E610 Network Adapters provide industry-leading power efficiency, the latest advancements in 10GBASE-T connectivity, and comprehensive manageability features for control plane networking.

With both adapters, you can combine flexibility, simplified management, efficiency, interoperability, and strong security to achieve exceptional performance and a lower TCO in your data center.

The path to optimization

Navigating the complexities of data center optimization requires a holistic approach. By keeping these five key considerations at the forefront of your strategy, you can build a more agile, efficient, and cost-effective data center that not only meets your current business needs, but that also lays a strong foundation for future growth and innovation. The journey to an optimized data center is an ongoing one, but with these considerations as your guide, you’ll be well-equipped to navigate the path to success.

What’s New: Today Intel recognized the outstanding achievements of 30 partners with the distinction of Partner of the Year at its Intel Partner Connect 2020 virtual conference. The Partner of the Year awards honor Intel partners demonstrating excellence in technology innovation, go-to-market strategizing, sales growth and marketing.

“We appreciate each of our partners for their continued collaboration to bring new technologies to life for our customers. The shared results from 2019 demonstrate our strong partnerships and collective mission to bring innovative solutions to businesses and organizations across the world.”
– Greg Ernst, Intel vice president in the Sales and Marketing Group and general manager of U.S. Sales

Why It’s Important: The title of Partner of the Year is awarded to companies achieving the highest standards of design, development, integration and technology deployment to accelerate innovation, growth and go-to-market strategies. They represent great examples of what’s possible when we, as an ecosystem, work together.

Partner Program Winners:

Global Innovation

• Accenture – Global Innovation Partner – Globally deploying innovative solutions across artificial intelligence (AI), analytics, blockchain and device-as-a-service leveraging Intel technologies: Intel® OpenVINO™, Intel® Arria® 10 FPGA, Intel® Movidius™ Myriad™ X VPU, Intel® Connected Logistics platform and the Intel vPro® platform.

LOEM

• AIS – Growth – Continuously grew integration of Intel® NUC product to enhance video collaboration solutions in enterprise and education.
• Colfax International – Go-to-Market – For successfully deploying Intel® Optane™ persistent memory DIMMS at launch and strategizing a cohesive pricing model.
• Crystal Group – Growth – Delivered innovative, ruggedized systems tailored to specific customer needs for oil and gas, and power substation/micro grid market-ready solutions for Intel’s common substation platform.
• Eluktronics – Innovation – Leading channel whitebook GTM strategy with SPG and executing TTM launch of Queen’s County, selling 1.2ku in first quarter.
• IBuyPower – Go-to-Market – Set its sights on TAM expansion with Intel technology through a bold, creative and unique partnership with Toyota Racing Development. With this program, it unveiled a state-of-the-art gaming and training zone at Toyota Performance Center, remastered its Pro Series of workstation PCs for professionals, launched a series of TRD-approved systems for gamers, and broadcasted a video series designed to award-winning college students with gaming room makeovers, all with Intel branding and powered by Intel-based PCs.
• Penguin Computing – Innovation – An innovative Linux solution for high-performance computing on-premise and in the cloud with Penguin Computing professional and managed services.
• Razer – Growth – Razer saw exceptional growth in 2019, in part by bringing the latest Intel technologies to market, including Intel® Core™ i7 processors, Intel® Iris® Plus graphics, Thunderbolt™ 3 and Wi-Fi 6, to deliver high-performance thin-and-light gaming laptops.
• Simply NUC – Go-to-Market – Dedicated to expanding the use cases of mini PCs into new growth segments such as digital signage, academic collaboration and AI. Simply NUC is your one-stop shop for systems, solutions and accessories.
• Vast Data – Innovation – For close collaboration and partnership in creating Intel Optane technology-based storage solutions for new applications, such as analytics and AI, machine learning and deep learning. Uniquely integrated key Intel technologies to simplify the data center stack, eliminate storage complexity and tiers, and enable all-flash performance with archive economics.

National

• CDW – Growth – Expanding Intel client, data center, storage and networking infrastructure solutions across over 150 countries.
• Connection – Go-to-Market – For their dedication to selling devices consistently across SMB, public sector and enterprise segments.
• Insight – Innovation – For simplifying complex solutions in emerging technologies like the internet of Things (IoT) and machine learning – including the Connected Platform for Detection and Prevention of the spread of viruses – to accelerate our clients’ time to value, drive efficiency in their workplaces and create positive customer experiences through partnerships and solution aggregation at scale.
• Logicalis – Go-to-Market – Intel pre-validated, and pre-integrated IoT solutions across markets, such as asset management in healthcare, machine vision in industrial, and smart city applications.
• Pivot – Go-to-Market – Edge secure connectivity, computing and collaboration solutions that continue to advance and scale Smart Edge’s software. Pivot signed a three-year preferred partnership agreement with Intel to continue investing in and drive the Intel® Smart Edge/Edge solution (branded Pivot Intelligent Edge) to market and support its future growth. Pivot has integrated Smart Edge to be a foundational component of Pivot’s Intelligent Edge Solution and Services that provide best-in-class secure connectivity across multiple wireless protocols (CBRS, LTE, Wifi, Lora, Zigbee, etc.).
• Presidio – Growth – Deployed Intel-based solutions around HCI, SDS and Hybrid Cloud across its middle market, enterprise and government clients.
• SHI International Corp. – Innovation – Leads the way with its cutting-edge Zero Touch, which streamlines configuration, deployment and management of Intel processor-based Win 10 client devices.
• World Wide Technology – Growth – Designed, built, and deployed transformational solutions for multicloud, AI/analytics, IoT and 5G, supporting our largest enterprise, public sector, and service provider customers.
• Zones – Innovation – For its leadership in solution development and deployment of the Intel Unite®

ISA

• BCM – Highest IOT Growth at Associate/Affiliate Level – Provided medical equipment OEMs with a viable IoT data collection and aggregation device using Intel Core technology. Understands multiple vertical markets and embedded life cycle management, and reduces time to market with a quality product.
• Crestron – Most Engaged Co-Marketing – The Creston Collaboration solution is an Intel® IoT Market Ready Solution built on Intel technologies (Intel Core i7, Movidius and Intel Arria FPGA). Creston engaged in a multifaceted Intel IoT Solutions Alliance co-marketing campaign (event, collateral, demos, digital), insight.tech content marketing platform, and the Intel® Solutions Marketplace to develop leads, accelerate its business and drive revenue and deployments.
• Dell OEM – Largest IoT Co-sell Partner +Biggest IOT Growth Partner – Dell Technologies Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Embedded & Edge Solutions delivers customized infrastructure, services and a secure supply chain designed for your vision and business goals – all from one trusted, sustainable and secure vendor. Dell OEM offers solutions for IoT, communications, medical, retail and more than 40 additional verticals.
• Noodle.ai – Most impactful MRS – Noodle.ai is a mature startup software company with deep heritage and expertise of AI/ML analytics for factory/industrial environments. With the support from Intel and Dell, Noodle.ai will continue to pioneer the Smart Factories initiative, as part of the Industry 4.0 rollout.

Distributor

• Synnex Corporation – Data Center Group Distributor of the Year – Grew its overall data center business with a companywide focus on growing this segment, which resulted in overall data center growth, and Intel adjacencies and Intel® Data Center Blocks.
• Ingram Micro – Client Computing Group Distributor of the Year – Grew its client computing business through a sales and marketing strategy focused on growth areas, like solutions-based on Intel NUC products.
• Arrow – Internet of Things Group Distributor of the Year – Drove an overall IoT silicon, systems, solution strategy that led to expanding its overall business and evolving its IoT go-to-market strategy.
• ASI – Non-Volatile Memory Solutions Group Distributor of the Year – Exceptional growth year-over-year through a very focused effort across the entire company.
• Tech Data – Branded Systems Distributor of the Year – Strong growth results on both end-point products and data center through a variety of companywide initiatives.
• Tech Data – Partner Enablement Distributor of the Year – Delivered innovative solutions to help its Intel partners grow their Intel business through Tech Data’s Propel ITP program.
• Computech International – Channel Innovation Award – Brought Intel nonvolatile memory solutions to new markets, expanding Intel’s channel presence and customer base.

More Context: Intel’s Partner Program Page | Intel Announces 2020 Americas Partner of the Year Awards

The Small Print: Intel technologies’ features and benefits depend on system configuration and may require enabled hardware, software or service activation. Performance varies depending on system configuration. No product or component can be absolutely secure. Check with your system manufacturer or retailer or learn more at intel.com.

Cost reduction scenarios described are intended as examples of how a given Intel-based product, in the specified circumstances and configurations, may affect future costs and provide cost savings. Circumstances will vary. Intel does not guarantee any costs or cost reduction.

Software and workloads used in performance tests may have been optimized for performance only on Intel microprocessors.

Performance tests, such as SYSmark and MobileMark, are measured using specific computer systems, components, software, operations and functions. Any change to any of those factors may cause the results to vary. You should consult other information and performance tests to assist you in fully evaluating your contemplated purchases, including the performance of that product when combined with other products. For more complete information visit www.intel.com/benchmarks.