Pacific Wave

What Pacific Wave does

Pacific Wave is a distributed international research and education (R&E) Internet exchange, jointly operated by CENIC (Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California) and the Pacific Northwest Gigapop (PNWGP) since its initial NSF funding in 2005. The organization provides open peering and high-performance network connectivity between US science and engineering institutions and their international counterparts, with primary points of presence in Los Angeles, Sunnyvale, and Seattle, interior US nodes in Denver, Albuquerque, and El Paso, and two sites in Tokyo. Core technical infrastructure includes Layer 2 VLAN-based exchange fabric supporting IPv4, IPv6, and multicast, a dedicated 100 Gbps backbone scaling to 400 Gbps and 800 Gbps, Science DMZ platforms, and Software-Defined Exchange (SDX) and SDN testbeds in collaboration with StarLight and WIDE/T-REX.

The product portfolio spans the core Pacific Wave International Exchange, the Science DMZ for data-intensive science, the National Research Platform (formerly Pacific Research Platform, a 50+ institution partnership led by UC San Diego running the ~300-node Nautilus distributed compute cluster), CENIC AIR for AI/LLM workloads, the RouteViews connector, and the recently launched CENIC Sentinel disaster-recovery solution. Strategic collaborations include APOnet (11 Asia-Pacific R&E networks), NA-REX (extending reach to Europe, Central/South America, Africa via Internet2 MANLAN/WIX/BIX), AP-REX, the new FLAG/Echo subsea cable partnership (Singapore, Guam, Indonesia), and the FUJIXP MoU (Tokyo).

The business model is non-profit and community-funded: revenue derives primarily from NSF grants (notably the $4 million five-year IRNC award in 2020 and $5 million for the Pacific Research Platform) and member contributions, with pricing administered confidentially through membership and partnership agreements. Go-to-market is community-led via industry conferences (SC, APAN, PacNOG, eScience, Internet2 Tech Exchange, Global Research Platform Workshop), direct peering at exchange points, and strategic partnerships rather than commercial sales. The customer base is global research and education institutions and national/regional research networks, with named participants spanning Internet2, ESnet, University of Hawai'i, UC San Diego/SDSC, Caltech, UCLA, Cal Poly Humboldt, AARNet, NICT, NII, REANNZ, and SingAREN.

Name

Pacific Wave

Legal name

Pacific Wave International Research and Education Exchange

Website

https://pacificwave.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pacific Wave is a joint CENIC and PNWGP project operating a distributed international Internet exchange providing high-performance network peering for US and global research and education institutions across 29+ networks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel

Revenue model

1. NSF Grants: Pacific Wave receives federal funding through NSF International Research Network Connections (IRNC) program grants, including a $4 million five-year grant awarded in 2020 for continued operation and enhancement.
2. CENIC Partnership: Pacific Wave is a joint project operated by CENIC and PNWGP. CENIC operates California's research and education network (CalREN) and provides the organizational and funding structure for Pacific Wave as part of its non-profit mission.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Pacific Wave is a distributed international research and education (R&E) internet exchange that provides high-performance network connectivity and peering services between U.S. and Asia-Pacific R&E networks. It supports advanced scientific collaboration through distributed exchange points in Los Angeles, Seattle, and Tokyo, offering 100Gbps backbone capacity, Science DMZ architecture support, and SDN/SDX testbed capabilities.

Product overview

Pacific Wave is a distributed international research and education exchange providing high-performance network infrastructure for scientific collaboration. The core offering is the Pacific Wave International Exchange, a peering fabric with locations in Los Angeles, Sunnyvale, and Seattle supporting 100Gbps+ connectivity. Key products include the Science DMZ for data-intensive science workflows, the National Research Platform (NRP) with its ~300 node Nautilus distributed cluster for AI/ML workloads, the CENIC AI Resource (CENIC AIR) for AI research, and specialized SDX/SDN testbeds. Regional collaborations include NA-REX for North American connectivity and APOnet for Asia-Pacific reach. The platform enables large-scale scientific workflows in high-energy physics, earth sciences, astronomy, biology, and emerging AI applications through peering with major networks including Internet2, ESnet, and international partners across the Pacific Rim.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pacific Wave Internet Exchange Core distributed internet exchange service that provides high-performance trans-Pacific peering and connectivity for U.S. and Asia-Pacific research and education networks. Designed for R&E institutions requiring high-bandwidth, low-latency cross-Pacific communication for scientific collaboration.
• Distributed Exchange Points (Los Angeles, Seattle, Tokyo) Distributed physical exchange locations in Los Angeles, Seattle, and Tokyo that enable R&E networks to peer across the Pacific with minimal latency and redundancy. Targeted at research and education network operators needing trans-Pacific exchange access.
• SDN/SDX Testbed Software Defined Networking (SDN) and Software Defined Exchange (SDX) testbed capabilities available to the R&E community for experimentation with advanced networking architectures and protocols. Targeted at R&E researchers and network engineers exploring next-generation networking technologies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Enables data transfer at 400 Gbps, 800 Gbps and beyond
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability9 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• FUJIXP (Federated Units of Japan Internet eXchange Point)coreTechnology or Integration · 21 January 2026MoU signed to offer connectivity to the newly created FUJIXP, a Tokyo-based open exchange facility for research and education networks established by CINJI, an alliance of Japanese academic organizations including MAFFIN, NICT, NII, and WIDE.
• International Networks at Indiana University (IN@IU)coreTechnology or Integration · 21 January 2026Signatory to MoU with Pacific Wave and CINJI for FUJIXP connectivity. IN@IU operates TransPAC providing high-speed network circuits and supporting end-users to improve data transfers.
• CINJI (Coalition of Interoperable Networks for Japan and International)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 January 2026Alliance of Japanese academic organizations that established FUJIXP. Includes Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research Network (MAFFIN), NICT, NII, and WIDE project.
• FLAG (Fiber Link Around the Globe)coreTechnology or Integration · 3 September 2025Partnership with FLAG, one of the world's largest privately owned subsea cable networks, for new capacity on the Echo subsea cable system, significantly expanding connectivity between US university research institutions and partners in Singapore, Guam, and Indonesia.
• Cal Poly HumboldtcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 September 2025Foundational partner in the Echo cable connectivity initiative, leveraging North Coast location as a critical hub for global data and facilitating high-speed access to the Pacific Rim for the R&E community.
• Internet2coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 September 2025U.S. national research and education network integrating new international capacity into the broader R&E network ecosystem. Partners through NA-REX and AP-REX collaborations to enable trans-continental research connectivity.
• CSU Chancellor's OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 September 2025Provided strategic leadership and advocacy to ensure critical infrastructure benefits students and faculty system-wide, strengthening CSU's commitment to academic innovation and international collaboration.
• APOnet (Asia Pacific Oceania Network) CollaborationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2021Eleven global R&E networks collaborating to improve high-speed network services in the Asia Pacific Oceania region. Includes AARNet, ARENA-PAC, Internet2, KISTI, NICT, NII, Pacific Wave, REANNZ, SingAREN, TransPAC, and University of Hawaii.
• NA-REX (North America - Research Education Exchange)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2019Collaboration among Pacific Wave, Internet2 (MANLAN, WIX, BIX), StarLight, and AMPATH enabling Pacific Wave participants to extend reach to Europe, Central and South America, Africa, and beyond.
• CENIC (Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPacific Wave is a joint project of CENIC and PNWGP. CENIC operates California’s research and education network (CalREN) and provides the organizational structure for Pacific Wave. Pacific Wave has been operated for two decades as a joint initiative.
• Pacific Northwest Gigapop (PNWGP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPacific Wave is a joint project of CENIC and PNWGP. PNWGP provides network infrastructure and operational expertise for the distributed exchange, including managing direct capacity connecting Seattle to Tokyo.
• AARNet (Australia's Academic and Research Network)majorTechnology or IntegrationAustralia's national research and education network, providing advanced telecommunications and cybersecurity services to universities, research institutions, schools, and cultural organizations.
• NICT (National Institute of Information and Communications Technology)majorTechnology or IntegrationJapan's national research and development agency specializing in ICT. Operates JGN testbed network and enhances high-speed network testbeds for R&D as well as global research activities.
• NII (National Institute of Informatics)majorTechnology or IntegrationOperates SINET, Japan's academic backbone network connecting universities and research institutions, facilitating international collaboration through connections to Internet2, GÉANT, and Asian research networks.
• REANNZ (Research and Education Advanced Network New Zealand)majorTechnology or IntegrationNew Zealand's Crown-owned National Research and Education Network, providing high-performance digital connectivity for scientists, researchers, and educators.
• SingAREN (Singapore Advanced Research and Education Network)majorTechnology or IntegrationSingapore's national R&E network, providing local and international networks dedicated to serving the research and education community with high-speed data transfers and advanced network demonstrations.
• University of Hawai'icoreStrategic or Co-development Partner35+ years of international networking leadership; established first international Internet connection to Australia in 1989; instrumental in establishing Pacific Islands Research and Education Network (PIREN) and Guam Open Research and Education eXchange (GOREX).
• ESnet (Energy Sciences Network)coreTechnology or IntegrationU.S. Department of Energy's national research network connected via 100 Gbps peering in Los Angeles, Sunnyvale, and Seattle, enabling scientific collaboration with DOE facilities and datasets.
• U.S. Department of Energy (Belle II Collaboration)majorTechnology or IntegrationPacific Wave connects DoE laboratories and research universities to Belle II particle physics experiment at Japan's KEK, enabling 40 TB daily data flow by 2027 from 1,200 physicists across 28 countries.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CANARIE: Canada's national research and education network, participating in Pacific Wave's trans-Pacific ecosystem. Comparable as a national R&E backbone focused on cross-border scientific connectivity.
• ESnet (Energy Sciences Network): US Department of Energy research network connected to Pacific Wave via 100 Gbps peering in LA, Sunnyvale, and Seattle. Comparable as a high-performance R&E backbone enabling data-intensive scientific collaboration with overlapping customer base.
• StarLight: Chicago-based international R&E exchange facility partnering with Pacific Wave via NA-REX and SDX/SDN testbed collaborations. Comparable as an open peering and exchange point for global research networks.
• GÉANT: Europe's pan-European research and education network collaboration, coordinating with Pacific Wave through NA-REX to extend reach. Comparable as a multi-national R&E backbone and exchange operator serving academic and research institutions.
• NII (National Institute of Informatics) / SINET: Japan's national academic backbone network, APOnet participant and FUJIXP collaborator connecting to Pacific Wave. Comparable as a national R&E backbone operator with international peering functions serving universities and research institutions.
• AMPATH: Florida-based international R&E exchange peering with Pacific Wave through NA-REX, focused on Latin American and global connectivity. Comparable as a regional open exchange for research and education networks.
• AARNet: Australia's Academic and Research Network, APOnet participant connected via Pacific Wave's trans-Pacific routes. Comparable as a national R&E backbone serving universities and research institutions with international peering.
• Internet2: US national research and education network that peers with Pacific Wave and jointly operates NA-REX/AP-REX to extend connectivity. Comparable as a backbone operator serving the same R&E community with similar peering and exchange functions.
• CENIC: Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California, operator of CalREN and joint operator of Pacific Wave. Comparable as a regional R&E backbone operator serving California universities with similar peering and AI infrastructure initiatives (CENIC AIR).
• PNWGP (Pacific Northwest Gigapop): Pacific Northwest regional research network and joint operator of Pacific Wave, providing Seattle and Tokyo connectivity. Comparable as a regional R&E network operator partnering in the same distributed exchange.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pacwaveatsc12

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Pacific Wave