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Wi‑Fi 6, Wi‑Fi 7, and 5G in Enterprise Networks: What’s Coming & How to Get Ready

Let’s face it — the world of enterprise networking is changing fast. With Wi‑Fi 6, Wi‑Fi 7, and 5G all making big waves, we’re not just talking faster connections — we’re looking at a serious upgrade in how businesses operate at the edge, in the cloud, and everywhere in between.

Forecasts suggest that Wi‑Fi 6 could drive around $1.6 trillion in U.S. economic value by 2025. That’s… a lot. And on the 5G side? It’s already transforming edge networking — think instant data crunching, ultra-low latency, and real-time operations stretched across vast, decentralized systems.

In short, Wi‑Fi and 5G together are turning into the digital backbone of the modern workplace, whether you’re running hybrid offices or automating smart factories.

 Why Wi‑Fi 6/7 Actually Matters

If you’ve ever cursed your Wi‑Fi during a Zoom call or tried to manage too many devices on one network, Wi‑Fi 6 and 7 are basically built to fix that. These new standards are way better at handling crowded environments, cutting down lag, and keeping things moving smoothly.

Here’s what stands out:

They work really well in packed spaces (goodbye, choppy conference calls).
They support heavy-duty apps like AR, VR, and cloud-based tools.
IoT devices get better battery life because the communication is more efficient.
And if your setup includes Wi‑Fi 6E or Wi‑Fi 7? You’re getting access to the 6 GHz band — it’s cleaner, less congested, and built for high-performance needs like campus-wide networks or data-heavy tasks.

 5G at the Edge: More Than Just a Buzzword

5G is where things get interesting on the move. It’s not just a mobile upgrade — for enterprises, it opens the door to smarter logistics, asset tracking, remote ops, and even full-on smart manufacturing.

Sometimes it’s used alongside Wi‑Fi, other times it replaces it — especially in remote areas or places where laying cables just doesn’t make sense.

For IT teams, it’s a shift:

You’ll be juggling both cellular and Wi‑Fi infrastructure.
Security and policy enforcement need to be airtight across both.
Private 5G? Yep, that’s now a real option for specific buildings or business units.
Bottom line: 5G brings a new level of agility to enterprise networking — crucial when coverage, mobility, and speed can’t be compromised.

At the top of the performance ladder, El Capitan, located at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, holds onto its title as the fastest supercomputer on Earth. Built on the HPE Cray EX255a platform, it delivers an astonishing 1.742 exaflops of computing power, thanks to AMD’s latest 4th-gen EPYC CPUs and MI300A accelerators. With over 11 million cores and top-tier energy efficiency, it’s setting new standards in high-performance computing (HPC).

Right behind it, Frontier, the long-time leader housed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, continues to impress with 1.353 exaflops. This system, built on a previous-generation AMD architecture, still offers one of the most balanced combinations of raw performance and scalability, with nearly 8.7 million cores connected via the HPE Slingshot interconnect.

Taking third place is Aurora, Intel’s flagship exascale system at the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility in Illinois. With over 9.2 million cores and 1.012 exaflops of compute power, Aurora showcases the capabilities of Intel’s Xeon Max Series chips in a high-density, HPE-based architecture.

A strong new contender from Europe, the JUPITER Booster system at Forschungszentrum Jülich in Germany, is already making waves. Though still in the commissioning phase, a partial deployment has achieved 793.4 petaflops, making it the most powerful system in Europe to date. It runs on GH Superchips within Eviden’s BullSequana XH3000 design, cooled by a direct liquid architecture and supported by Nvidia InfiniBand.

Other top-ranking systems include:

• Eagle, a powerful Microsoft Azure cloud-based supercomputer, delivering over 560 petaflops using Intel Xeon Platinum chips and Nvidia networking.
• HPC6 in Italy, deployed at the Green Data Center by Eni, with nearly 478 petaflops and optimized for energy-intensive simulations using AMD EPYC and MI250X accelerators.
• Japan’s Fugaku, once the world’s fastest, still holding strong with over 442 petaflops, built on Fujitsu’s proprietary A64FX ARM-based architecture.
• Switzerland’s Alps, a high-efficiency system powered by Nvidia Grace and GH200 Superchips, pushing 435 petaflops.
• Finland’s LUMI, part of the EuroHPC initiative, with a performance of 379 petaflops, running on AMD’s 3rd-gen EPYC.
• And Leonardo, based in Italy, built with Intel Xeon processors and Nvidia InfiniBand, rounding out the top ten with 241 petaflops.

Okay, so here we are — almost at that 2025 milestone. Everyone’s talking about Wi-Fi 7, 5G, edge-this, AI-that. But honestly? The bigger question isn’t what’s new — it’s who can actually make it matter. Who’s going to turn all this tech into real, measurable business value?

Spoiler: it’s probably not who you think.

Different Teams, Different Playbooks

When you zoom out, it feels like there are three camps forming — each one with its own theory of where this is all going.

Cisco: The Legacy Leader That’s… Still Standing

Look, no one’s ignoring Cisco. They’ve earned their spot. They’ve got scale, presence, trust — all the big words. But at the same time… are they still innovating, or are they just protecting their turf? They’ve followed trends pretty well so far, but as networks start orbiting around apps and data rather than boxes and cables, will that slower pace catch up with them?

Broadcom + HPE/Juniper: The Smart Infrastructure Bet

This pairing is interesting — kind of a slow burn, but you can feel it building. Broadcom owns the chip game and is creeping into the AI narrative. Juniper plus HPE? That’s deep integration potential. If apps really start dictating how networks behave — and it looks like they will — this crew could have a serious edge. Especially in edge environments (pun semi-intended).

The Telco Disruptors: Quietly Doing Something Different

Then you’ve got the Ericsson/Nokia crowd. They’re not trying to win the office LAN. They’re out there laying down private 5G for factories, mining sites, ports — places with real-world grit. If IoT and edge automation finally take off the way people have been promising for, like, a decade… these folks might find themselves in exactly the right place.

It’s Not About Speed Anymore — It’s About Usefulness

We’ve hit the point where “more bandwidth” just isn’t enough of a reason to upgrade. Enterprises want networks that do something — automate a process, reduce time-to-insight, simplify operations. If vendors can’t tie their offering to an actual business outcome? That’s a tough sell.

IoT: Still Mostly Hype, But the Window’s Open

Here’s the thing about IoT — it hasn’t really delivered yet. Most setups are still stuck inside buildings or limited to one system. But the dream? City-wide sensors, AI-driven routing, automated logistics — that’s still out there. Someone’s going to figure out how to make it click. And when they do, the dollars will follow.

So, Who’s Actually Ahead? Depends How You Look at It.

If you’re just looking at the next 12 months, Cisco’s probably still ahead. But long term? Broadcom’s building something quietly powerful. Chips, AI, VMware — they’ve got the right parts, and they’re hedged against a lot of market weirdness.

HPE and Juniper could be the wildcard — especially if they move faster and tighter together. And the telco players? If industrial 5G gets its moment, they could leapfrog a few traditional vendors without anyone noticing until it’s too late.

Networks That Don’t Just Connect — They Adapt

So here’s the deal: the networks of the future won’t just be “faster” or “bigger.” They’ll be smarter. More responsive. More tied to actual business workflows. Less of a pipe, more of a platform.

2025 isn’t a finish line — it’s a fork in the road. And whoever’s bold enough to take the unexpected path… might just write the next chapter.

Data Center Power Challenges Are Reshaping Enterprise IT

As AI continues to grow, powering enterprise data centers is becoming more difficult than building them. The problem is no longer just about space or servers — it’s about how to deliver and manage much larger amounts of power in a smart, safe, and efficient way.

For hyperscalers like AWS or Google, the issue is finding enough power at all — sometimes even considering building dedicated power plants. But for most enterprises, the challenge is more about managing extreme power density inside racks and rooms that weren’t designed for it.

Why Power Use Is Rising Fast

Today’s racks can draw up to 1 megawatt — compared to just 150 kW a few years ago. This spike is driven by three key factors:

• CPUs are more power-hungry, growing from 200W to 500W+.
• AI workloads rely on GPUs, with multiple accelerators in each server, each using close to 1 kW.
• Tight integration and higher density reduce latency, which is critical for AI training.

AI models need constant, high-speed data movement between chips. That’s why components are packed tightly, which raises both power and cooling demands.

New Rack Designs and Power Layouts

To handle the extra load, some companies are moving power systems out of the racks themselves. Instead, they use external power units that feed several racks at once. This frees up space, supports denser compute, and reduces delays between components.

But managing this setup isn’t easy. Most enterprise data centers were built around far lower power needs, and there are no standard solutions yet for 1 MW racks. Every setup is a custom job, often pushing the limits of current designs.

Skills Are Becoming a Bottleneck

Many IT staff were trained for traditional setups — low-voltage, simpler equipment. But with these new demands, more advanced electrical knowledge is now required. In some cases, technicians may even need electrician-level certifications to safely install and maintain systems.

There’s a clear skills gap: most current certifications don’t go far enough for today’s power requirements, and trained professionals are in short supply.

What Needs to Change

To keep up, the industry needs to adapt in several ways:

• IT teams must level up their skills, especially in power and safety.
• Vendors should simplify infrastructure, making it easier to manage and scale.
• Automation tools need to handle more tasks, reducing pressure on staff.

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer yet. But smarter designs, better training, and improved tools can help data centers handle the growing demands of AI and high-density compute.

Power Is Now a Core Strategy

Power is no longer just a background concern — it’s a core part of data center planning. Companies that ignore it risk hitting limits fast. But those that address power early — from design to staffing — will be better prepared for what’s coming next.