Networking Field Day Delegate Roundtable - Hardware or Software - Which is Driving Innovation?

The pace of innovation in networking is accelerating. New hardware modules like DPUs and IPUs are increasing performance and providing novel new solutions. However, the world of software has not gone away. New software constructs are battling hardware innovations in order to see which one is pushing the envelope further. Which of these two parts of the industry are driving development forward faster? In this delegate roundtable, listen to the opinions of a group of expert practitioners as they debate the details.

[lukey]

Is there any articles available regarding Netflix getting rid of need for layer2 networks like mentioned?

[Christopher-rpbi]

I disagree that innovation alone is driven by a need. Take Apple; many of its innovations were driven by what Apple as a company and its employees thought people needed, even though the customers didn’t even know they needed it.
A particular person or community drives innovation and imagination at certain points in time. It
switches back and forth between hardware and software at any given time.