Pacific Northwest Gigapop

Name

Pacific Northwest Gigapop

Legal name

Pacific Northwest Gigapop

Website

https://pnwgp.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Research & Education Network Services

NAICS

Wired Telecommunications Carriers (517111)

SIC

Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813)

akta.pro primary industry

Terrestrial Long-Haul Fiber Backbone Operators (Intercity/Interstate) (HDAIALAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cross-Border Terrestrial Fiber Corridors & International Terrestrial Gateways (HDAIALAH)

Keywords

• Research network services
• Internet exchange peering
• High bandwidth networking
• Fiber optic infrastructure
• Nonprofit network operator

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. NSF Grant Funding: Primary funding from National Science Foundation International Research Network Connections (IRNC) program grants. The 2020 NSF award was a $4 million five-year grant for Pacific Wave operation and enhancement.
2. Network Peering Services: Provides peering and exchange services to research and education networks, enabling high-speed connectivity among participants across the Pacific Rim and North America.
3. Collaborative Infrastructure Partnerships: Joint infrastructure investments and shared resources with partner organizations (CENIC, Internet2, regional networks) for deploying fiber-optic networks and exchange points.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Pacific Northwest Gigapop provides cost-effective, robust, high-bandwidth, and high-capacity fiber-optic network infrastructure specifically designed for research and education organizations across the Pacific Rim. The organization designs, implements, and manages a multi-state network and operates Pacific Wave, a distributed international open peering exchange jointly with CENIC, delivering 100-400 Gbps connectivity among US research institutions and partners in 30+ countries.

Product overview

Pacific Northwest Gigapop (PNWGP) is a nonprofit corporation providing advanced networking infrastructure for research and education communities. The core offerings center on Pacific Wave, a joint project with CENIC that serves as a distributed open peering exchange connecting US research institutions with international partners across the Pacific Rim. Supporting products include Network Looking Glass for live routing visualization, perfSONAR for network performance measurement, and participation in the Western Regional Network (WRN) and NA-REX collaborations. The infrastructure supports 100-400 Gbps connectivity with locations across the US West Coast and Tokyo.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pacific Wave: A joint project of CENIC and PNWGP - a distributed, Research and Education (R&E)-focused, open Internet exchange providing very high-performance Internet connectivity among US Science and Engineering R&E institutions and their international partners in the Pacific Rim.

Products and services

• Pacific Wave International Peering Exchange A distributed, Research and Education (R&E)-focused, open international peering exchange providing very high-performance Internet connectivity among US Science and Engineering R&E institutions and their international partners throughout the Pacific Rim. Joint project of CENIC and PNWGP operating at 100-400 Gbps with nodes in Seattle, Sunnyvale, Los Angeles, and Tokyo.
• PNWGP Network Services Cost-effective, robust, reliable, high-bandwidth, and high-capacity networking services serving research and education organizations throughout the Pacific Rim, providing access to next-generation internet networks and technologies.
• Network Looking Glass

Quantifiable outcome

• 900 Gbps total capacity supported for SC22 demonstrations
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship, supporting and regional.

• FLAG (Subsea Cable Network)coreTechnology or Integration · 3 September 2025FLAG, one of the world's largest privately owned subsea cable networks, partnered with Pacific Wave for new capacity on the Echo subsea cable system. This expands connectivity between US university research institutions and partners in Singapore, Guam, and Indonesia with a dedicated express route.
• Pacific Wave (CENIC + PNWGP Joint Project)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 September 2024Pacific Wave is the joint flagship project between CENIC and PNWGP, operating the world's first distributed open Internet Exchange with nodes in Seattle, Sunnyvale, and Los Angeles. Funded by NSF IRNC grants ($4M, 5-year award in 2020), Pacific Wave enables high-performance connectivity among US research institutions and 30+ countries throughout the Pacific Rim. The partnership has operated Pacific Wave for two decades.
• FABRIC TestbedcoreTechnology or Integration · 15 August 2024Pacific Wave supports the NSF-funded FABRIC testbed with high-bandwidth connections ranging from 100 to 400 Gbps in Los Angeles and Seattle. FABRIC is an international infrastructure for networking, cybersecurity, distributed computing, storage, and science applications. PNWGP provides connectivity to FABRIC's TeraCore 1.2 Tbps ring.
• NA-REX (North America Research and Education Exchange)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 March 2024Seven advanced R&E networks collaborating to establish a new high-performance experimental network service connecting global exchange points in North America. PNWGP Managing Director Jonah Keough serves as NA-REX chair. The collaboration provides 100 and 400 Gbps circuits interconnecting exchange points in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Montreal, New York, Seattle, Sunnyvale, and Washington, D.C.
• University of Oregon RouteViews ProjectsupportingTechnology or Integration · 19 July 2023RouteViews BGP data collection platform deployed at Pacific Wave's Los Angeles node. Network operators worldwide can access routing information specific to Pacific Wave's REN participants. Project supported by NSF Awards and Network Startup Resource Center (NSRC).
• APOnet (Asia Pacific Oceania Networks)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2021APOnet is an 11-network collaboration improving high-speed network services in the Asia Pacific Oceania region. Networks include AARNet, ARENA-PAC, Internet2, KISTI, NICT, NII, Pacific Wave, REANNZ, SingAREN, TransPAC, and University of Hawaii. Enables large-scale scientific workflows for high-energy physics, earth sciences, astronomy, biology, and biomedical engineering.
• AARNet (Australia's Academic and Research Network)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 17 June 2021Long-standing partnership connecting Australian research networks to Pacific Wave and North American R&E infrastructure. AARNet provides trans-Pacific connectivity via Southern Cross Cable Network SXTransPORT (upgraded to 100 Gbps), connecting to Mauna Kea observatories and Pacific Island countries.
• NICT (National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Japan)coreTechnology or Integration · 17 June 2021Japanese national research network organization providing testing environment for network R&D and global research activities. NICT conducts experiments demonstrating 400-800 Gbps data transfers using Pacific Wave infrastructure as part of APOnet collaboration.
• REANNZ (Research and Education Advanced Network New Zealand)regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 17 June 2021New Zealand's Crown-owned National Research and Education Network connected to Pacific Wave, providing New Zealand researchers access to global collaboration opportunities and unique science facilities.
• SingAREN (Singapore Advanced Research and Education Network)regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 17 June 2021Singapore's national research and education network connected through Pacific Wave's Singapore Exchange (SOE) for high-speed transfers of large datasets for scientific research.
• Link OregonregionalStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 April 2020Joint COVID-19 response collaboration with CENIC and PNWGP to support Western States Pact. Combined ultra-broadband networks support K-12 education online, COVID-19 research, university medical centers, and assist ISPs in underserved areas.
• Internet2coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 October 2017Five-year West Coast agreement (2017-2022, with extensions) enabling shared infrastructure using CENIC and PNWGP fiber-optic cable and Internet2's Ciena optical system. Supports Internet2's nationwide backbone network on the West Coast and Pacific Wave exchange infrastructure. Provides 100Gbps connectivity to Internet2's Advanced Layer 2 and 3 Services.
• Brocade (Now Juniper Networks)supportingTechnology or Integration · 16 November 2015Brocade MLXe Core Routers deployed as interconnection, peering, and routing exchange fabric enabling 100 Gbps connectivity at Pacific Wave nodes in Sunnyvale, Seattle, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Tokyo. Provided hardware and technical assistance for rapid 100Gbps trans-Pacific link deployment.
• TransPAC / Indiana UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 October 2015NSF-funded International Research Network Connections project supporting research and education network traffic across the Pacific. TransPAC4 collaboration with Pacific Wave provides 100Gbps dedicated wavelength between Seattle and Tokyo, including peering fabrics at WIDE/T-REX exchange point.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CANARIE: Canada's national research and education network, providing ultra-high-speed connectivity to Canadian institutions and connecting to Pacific Wave for trans-Pacific research collaboration. Operates a structurally similar nonprofit R&E model.
• ESnet (Energy Sciences Network): DOE-funded high-performance network serving national laboratories and scientific instruments. Operates similar Science DMZ architectures and participates in the same global R&E peering ecosystem as Pacific Wave.
• CENIC (Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California): Direct co-owner and operator of Pacific Wave alongside PNWGP. CENIC is a California-based nonprofit R&E network serving universities, schools, and research institutions, making it the most operationally comparable peer to PNWGP.
• Front Range GigaPoP: Regional R&E network serving Colorado and surrounding states, a direct co-participant in the Western Regional Network alongside PNWGP and CENIC. Operates an analogous gigapop model for regional R&E connectivity.
• Internet2: US national research and education network operating a backbone backbone serving the same institutional base as PNWGP. Shares West Coast fiber infrastructure under a long-standing mutual partnership.

Regional players

• NICT (National Institute of Information and Communications Technology): Japanese national R&E network operator conducting 400-800 Gbps trans-Pacific experiments over Pacific Wave infrastructure. Comparable as an Asia-Pacific R&E peer operating complementary international connectivity.
• NYSERNet: New York-based nonprofit R&E network operating a regional gigapop model for institutions in the Northeast US. Comparable as a smaller, regionally focused nonprofit R&E network with similar peer-to-peer interconnection services.
• SingAREN (Singapore Advanced Research and Education Network): Singapore's national R&E network connected via Pacific Wave's Singapore Open Exchange. Operates a similar nonprofit model for international R&E peering across Southeast Asia.
• AARNet (Australia's Academic and Research Network): Australia's national R&E network providing trans-Pacific connectivity to Pacific Wave via SXTransPORT. Functions as both a regional participant and a channel partner for Australian research institutions reaching North American collaborators.

Broad incumbents

• GÉANT: Europe's pan-continental R&E network consortium serving 50 million users. As a much larger and globally diversified R&E network operator, it is a broad incumbent peer that interconnects with Pacific Wave for trans-Atlantic and Asia-EU research traffic.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pacific Northwest Gigapop