Next Generation Infrastructure

Substantially Complete, Features Enablement in 2022

Investments in next-generation technology delivering a national research and education (R&E) network with increased capacity, on-demand capabilities, network scalability, and a lower carbon footprint to support academic and research collaborations. Read overview of project accomplishments, lessons learned, and what’s coming next in 2022.

The Next Generation Infrastructure (NGI) program was initiated in 2018 and is a full set of activities that review and update the services, value, and supporting technology of the Internet2 infrastructure portfolio, as well as the relationships within the larger ecosystem.

The Internet2 network, and the collaborative networks with which it connects, exist to provide advanced capabilities in support of research and academic collaborations across the US. Our collective missions are multi-faceted and responsible for providing not only infrastructure for the academic enterprise, but also research cyberinfrastructure for various data-intensive science domains and support for network research.

This is why the NGI program focuses on delivering new capabilities and value for:

the data-intensive researcher
cloud connectivity, infrastructure sharing, and collaboration with regional networks
Software-driven programmability, and resetting economics of network scalability

Through the planning, implementation, and investment in next-generation technology, we are collectively working toward creating on-demand capabilities for a seamless end-user experience that supports the academic community.

“The ideal goal [of the NGI program] is a consistent, scalable, and simple national connectivity approach for provisioning and supporting the complex and evolving specialized needs of collaborative research across the R&E institutions and shared Cyberinfrastructure facilities.” – Rick Tutthill and Chris Misra, UMass Amherst.

Download NGI project timeline (PDF).