Collaboration enables disaggregated hardware resource sharing across optical networks

Key Highlights

• Integration of CNCF CoHDI project into IOWN Global Forum’s All-Photonics Network (APN)
• Enables Scale-Across solutions for AI data centers, overcoming the physical limitations of single-site facilities
• Supports Kubernetes nodes within disaggregated environments over optical interconnected computing
• Accelerates joint development efforts under an amended Memorandum of Understanding

KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Japan 2026--The Innovative Optical and Wireless Network Global Forum (IOWN Global Forum), the international industry association developing photonics-based technologies for a more secure and sustainable world, today announced an expanded partnership with the Cloud Native Computing Foundation® (CNCF®), which builds sustainable ecosystems for cloud native software. Under the updated Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the CNCF sandbox project, Composable Hardware in Disaggregated Infrastructure (CoHDI), will integrate into the IOWN Global Forum’s All-Photonics Network (APN), enabling disaggregated hardware resource sharing across optical networks to advance AI-native infrastructure.

This collaboration aims to apply CoHDI as a feature within the Data-Centric Infrastructure (DCI) of the IOWN Global Forum’s APN. The integration enables Scale-Up/Down capabilities for individual Kubernetes nodes within composable and disaggregated environments over optical interconnected computing, effectively complementing the existing Scale-Out/In model of Kubernetes clusters. Furthermore, CoHDI-based DCI over the IOWN Global Forum’s APN enables “Scale-Across” solutions, helping AI data centers overcome the physical limitations of single-site facilities.

“We are pleased to extend our partnership with the CNCF to help us meet our ambitions to deliver the communications infrastructure of the future,” said Dr. Katsuhiko Kawazoe, President and Chairperson of the IOWN Global Forum. “It is only through global and open collaborative efforts like this that we can achieve a more sustainable, secure and high-performing network and computing infrastructure to revolutionize our personal lives, workplaces, and society.”

"Integrating CoHDI into the IOWN Global Forum’s APN is the next step in establishing disaggregated AI native infrastructure,” said Chris Aniszczyk, CTO, CNCF. "By enabling hardware sharing across optical networks, we’re moving beyond traditional scaling to provide the next generation required for production at scale."

The amended MoU builds on existing collaborations within LF Edge and LF Networking. Together, they will accelerate the development of the integrated optical network architecture outlined in the IOWN Global Forum’s Vision 2030 Roadmap, utilizing a diverse range of open source software from Linux Foundation-hosted projects. The objective is to provide a comprehensive, accessible infrastructure capable of supporting future use cases and driving industrial impact.

The Forum aims to realize key use cases - such as AI-Integrated Communication, Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), and AI Computing - by using its computing continuum capabilities on Kubernetes nodes over optical infrastructure. Following the Linux Foundation’s participation in the Forum's inaugural public event in 2024, FUTURES Vancouver, joint efforts between contributors from both communities continue to progress.

The IOWN Global Forum’s next supportive events include:

• FUTURES Amsterdam 2026 on October 1.
• KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America in Salt Lake City, Utah, from November 9 to 12.

To learn more about how you can contribute to CoHDI, visit CoHDI.

About the IOWN Global Forum

The IOWN Global Forum was established in 2020 as a private sector organization to develop IOWN Global Forum technologies and use cases, and is comprised of over 170 organizations. The objective of the IOWN Global Forum is to accelerate innovation and adoption of a new communication infrastructure to meet our future data and computing requirements through the development of new technologies, frameworks, specifications, and reference designs in areas such as photonics R&D, distributed computing, use cases, and best practices. For more information, visit IOWN Global Forum.

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