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Accton Technology Corporation

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Accton Technology Corporation
Native name
智邦科技
Company typePublic
TWSE: 2345
IndustryElectronics
FoundedFebruary 1988; 36 years ago (1988-02)
Headquarters,
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
ProductsNetwork Switches
Network Appliances
Network Access
Wireless Networking
Broadband Networking
SmartNICs
Production output
Increase 8.82 million units[1] (2022)
ServicesDesign and Development
Supply Chain
Manufacturing
RevenueIncrease US$2.58 billion[1] (2022)
Increase US$273 million[1] (2022)
Number of employees
3,242
SubsidiariesEdgecore Networks
IgniteNet
SMC Networks
Websitewww.accton.com

Accton Technology Corporation (Chinese: 智邦科技; pinyin: Zhìbāng Kējì) is a Taiwanese company in the electronics industry that primarily engages in the development and manufacture of networking and communication solutions, as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) or original design manufacturer (ODM) partner.[2] Accton has manufacturing plants in Taiwan (Hsinchu), China (Shenzhen), and Vietnam (Vĩnh Phúc),[3] supported by research and development centers in Taiwan, Shanghai, and California. Its product include 100G, 400G, and 800G switches designed for data center applications, along with wireless devices and artificial intelligence acceleration hardware.

The company partners with Amazon, HPE,[4] and telecommunications operators.[5]

History

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Accton was founded on February 9, 1988. Accton filled its IPO in November 1995.[6]

Acquisitions

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1997 – SMC Networks[citation needed]
1999 – Emitcom[7]
2000 – Minority stake in U.S. Robotics modem division from 3Com (with NatSteel from Singapore)[8]
2010 – Mototech[citation needed]
2021 – Stake in Xsight Labs[9]

Joint ventures

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2002 – Accton and SVA Group China – formed SVA Accton[10]
2003 – Accton and Philips – formed Arcadyan Technology[11]
2011 – Accton and Alvarion – formed AWB[12]

Exits

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2004 – ADMTek Inc to Infineon for €80 million[13]
2006 – 69% of Arcadyan Technology to Compal for US$30 million[14]

Products

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800G Switches

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Accton's 51.2 Tbps platforms leverage Broadcom’s Tomahawk 5 silicon and Intel's Ice Lake CPUs, targeting modern data centers and AI/ML workloads.

AS9817-64D[15] (QSFP-DD) and AS9817-64O[16] (OSFP800): Both are 2RU switches featuring 64 x 800 GbE ports, with flexible configurations for super-spine role within spine/leaf network topologies.

DCS8500-128D:[17] A 4RU switch with 128 x 400G QSFP112 ports, this high-density platform is designed to improve bandwidth management and simplify spine/leaf topologies.

AS9936-128D:[18] A 6RU Network Cloud Fabric switch featuring 128 x OSFP800 fabric interfaces. It is a key component for a VoQ-based fabric Distributed Disaggregated Chassis Network Cloud Cluster, designed for AI back-end networking.

The AS9936-128D is specifically designed to support expansive AI/ML clusters, capable of scaling up to 32K-GPU 800G/400G cluster with a two-stage DDC network architecture. This is achieved in combination with the ASA929-18XKE,[19] a 14.4 Tbps full-duplex 2RU Network Cloud Packet Forwarder that features 18 x OSFP800 network interfaces and 20 x OSFP800 fabric interfaces.[20]

Services

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In 2022, Accton partnered with TSMC, Delta Electronics, Gigabyte Technology, MIRLE, and 3M to develop newer data center immersion cooling offerings that reduce energy consumption.[21] That year Accton began shipping 400G switches at scale. The transition from 100G to 400G switches was driven by the increasing demands of 5G, Wi-Fi 6, IoT, AI, and digital transformations in consumer electronics and enterprise sectors. This escalation in demand is particularly notable among major tech companies like Google, Microsoft, and Facebook.[22] Also in 2022, Accton developed Vodafone's disaggregated cell site gateway (DCSG) routers for their 5G network. These routers are critical to Vodafone's strategy to automate networks and diversify vendors, supporting the company's expansion of its 5G infrastructure as part of its open RAN initiatives.[23]

Since 2021, Accton has been involved in developing and producing multiple generations of Intel's Habana Labs GOYA AI Inference Card, GAUDI AI Training Card, and GAUDI HLS-1 AI Training System.[24] These products are designed to enhance AI computation speeds and efficiency in cloud environments.

Since 2020, Accton (through its Edgecore Networks subsidiary) has been shipping Terragraph-enabled hardware units to service providers and system integrators worldwide. Terragraph is a gigabit wireless technology developed by Meta (formerly Facebook), designed to deliver high-speed internet connectivity over the air, close to fiber-optic speeds, using the 60 GHz spectrum band.[25]

In 2019, Accton designed and manufactured switches for Amazon, AT&T and NTT Com and Annapurna Labs.[26]

In 2016, through the Open Compute Project (OCP), Accton had the opportunity to develop Meta’s Wedge 100 that equip their hyperscale 100G data centers.[27] Accton has played a crucial role in designing and manufacturing the Minipack switches that are integral to Meta's F16 data center network topology.[28] These modular switches, tailored for 100G and 400G applications, are deployed in various capacities, including as fabric, spine, and aggregator, to efficiently manage data traffic across Meta’s extensive network infrastructure.[29][30]

Earlier initiatives include Accton's partnership in 2015 with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) in the OpenSwitch initiative, alongside Broadcom, Intel, and VMware.[31] In 2014, Accton manufactured Linux-based switches for Cumulus[32][33] and provided hardware solutions for Big Switch Networks.[34] In 2002, the company was chosen as Microsoft’s OEM partner to supply their Microsoft Broadband Networking product line. Since 1999, as an EMS provider, Accton has manufactured networking products for major OEMs such as Cisco, Intel, 3Com, Juniper, and Fujitsu.[35]

Finance

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During the year 2009, Accton obtained approximately 69% and 14% of its total revenue from switches and WLAN products, respectively.

During the year 2017, Accton obtained approximately 68% and 12% out of its total revenue from network switches and network appliances. Network access came third with 9%, followed by 5% in Wireless networking and 1% of the revenue coming from Broadband networking gear.[36]

Total sales for 2018 increased 18.23 percent annually to NT$43.09 billion (over US$1.3 billion) with Facebook, Amazon (company), and HP Inc weighing in.[37]

Year[38] Revenue
(in million US$)
Net income
(in million US$)
Total Assets
(in million US$)
Price per Share (in NT$ at close on
the last trading day of December)[39]
2008 633 12 368 8.41
2009 564 21 428 15.01
2010 742 31 434 19.70
2011 842 28 458 13.75
2012 868 28 436 16.15
2013 724 18 433 15.75
2014 731 21 453 16.00
2015 792 37 480 31.95
2016 940 60 560 50.90
2017 1166 82 600 106.00
2018 1379 94 716 98.60
2019 1790 159 900 168.00
2020 1847 180 1000 316.00
2021 2128 170 1148 260.00
2022 2603 266 1366 234.50
2023 2736 288 1587 523.00

Corporate Affairs

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Management

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Accton's key management personnel consists of:[40]

  • Kuo-Hsiu Huang (Chairperson)
  • Jun Shi (Chief Executive Officer and President)
  • Fanny Chen (Chief Financial Officer)
  • Michael K.T. Lee (Senior Vice President of R&D)
  • Melody Chiang (Senior Vice President of Business Management)
  • Jackal Lee (Senior Vice President of Product Supply & Demand)
  • Enco Liew (Vice President)
  • Ben Cheng (Vice President)
  • Joseph Hsieh (Vice President)

Board of directors

[edit]

Accton's board consists of the following directors:[40]

  • Kuo-Hsiu Huang (Chairperson at Accton, former Director at Accton)
  • Chiu-Hsia Wei (Vice Chairperson at Accton)
  • Heng-Yi Du (Director at Accton, Chairman at Wan Yuan Textiles, Chung Tai Transportation, and Ting Sing Co, Director of Ve Wong Corporation, SECOM, South China Insurance, and The Ambassador Hotel)
  • Shu-Chieh Huang (Independent Director at Accton, former CEO of Deloitte Taiwan)
  • Fa-Yauh Lee (Independent Director at Accton, Independent Director at Aethertek)
  • Eizo Kobayashi (Independent Director at Accton, Chairman at Itochu, Independent Director at Omron and Japan Airlines and Japan Exchange Group)
  • Ankur Singla (Independent Director at Accton, former CEO of Volterra, SVP at F5 Networks, SVP/GM Juniper Networks, CTO at HPE Aruba)

Recognition

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2018 – Outstanding Work Environment in Gender Equality from the Hsinchu Science Park Bureau[41]
2018 – National Quality Award from the Ministry of Economic Affairs (Presented by President Tsai Ing-Wen)[42]

The New York Times follows some stories about this company.[43][44][4][45]

CSIRO patent issues

[edit]

The Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) holds the patent to a component of the IEEE 802.11n standard. This component is also part of other protocols marketed under the Wi-Fi trademark. The IEEE requested from the CSIRO a Letter of Assurance that no lawsuits would be filed for anyone implementing the standard. In September 2007, CSIRO responded that they would not be able to comply with this request since litigation was involved.[46]

In April 2009, it was revealed that CSIRO reached a settlement with 14 companies including Accton plus other major technology companies —Hewlett-Packard, Asus, Intel, Dell, Toshiba, Netgear, D-Link, Belkin, SMC Networks, 3Com, Buffalo Technology, Microsoft, and Nintendo — on the condition that CSIRO did not broadcast the resolution.[47][48][49]

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Accton Yearly Financial Report 2022 (Consolidated)" (PDF). March 27, 2024.
  2. ^ "Accton Technology Corp. Company Profile & Executives". Wall Street Journal.
  3. ^ "Accton's fresh Vietnam plant makes first export shipments". April 8, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "HP Targets Cisco and Facebook With New Line". The New York Times. February 19, 2015. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  5. ^ "Demand for 400G switches could boost Accton's sales". January 21, 2019.
  6. ^ "ACCTON TECHNOLOGY CORP. ISIN Code:TW0002345006" (PDF). November 15, 1995.
  7. ^ "Accton boss aims for telco's". Arabian Business. December 19, 2000.
  8. ^ "U.S. Robotics deal completed". June 12, 2000.
  9. ^
    "Israeli chip co Xsight Labs raises over $100m". Globes. April 28, 2024.
  10. ^ "Accton and SVA form LAN and home networking joint venture". January 11, 2002.
  11. ^ "Philips and Accton". July 7, 2003.
  12. ^ "Flurry WiMax of Partnering". 2011.
  13. ^ "Infineon acquires ADMtek for 80 million Euros". January 28, 2004.
  14. ^ "Compal acquires wireless unit". August 26, 2006.
  15. ^ "800G Data Center Switch AS9817-64D" (PDF). May 5, 2024.
  16. ^ "800G Data Center Switch AS9817-64O" (PDF). May 5, 2024.
  17. ^ "128x400G Data Center Switch DCS8500-128D" (PDF). May 5, 2024.
  18. ^ "Network Cloud Fabric Engine AS9936-128D" (PDF). May 5, 2024.
  19. ^ "Network Cloud Packet Forwarder ASA926-18XKE" (PDF). May 5, 2024.
  20. ^ "Accton Announces 800G-Optimized Products that Provide Ethernet and VoQ Fabrics for AI/ML Workloads". May 5, 2024.
  21. ^ "TSMC Works with Suppliers to Develop Immersion Cooling Solution for HPC Data Center, Aiming to Save Energy by 30% and Reduce Waste by 50%". May 21, 2024.
  22. ^ "Accton begins to ship 400G switches". DigiTimes. May 21, 2024.
  23. ^ "Vodafone 5G to Gain DCSG Routers". May 21, 2024.
  24. ^ "Arthur Lee LinkedIn". May 21, 2024.
  25. ^ "Accelerating innovations in infrastructure and advancing global connectivity with our partners". February 24, 2020.
  26. ^ "Demand for 400G switches could boost Accton's sales". January 21, 2019.
  27. ^ "Open Compute Project accepts Facebook's 100Gbps Wedge switch; Accton starts selling it". May 21, 2024.
  28. ^ "Facebook Minipack Switch Partnering with Edgecore and Cumulus". May 21, 2024.
  29. ^ "Wedge 100: More open and versatile than ever". May 21, 2024.
  30. ^ "Amazon, Facebook, Google account for bulk of the white box data center Ethernet switch deployments". May 21, 2024.
  31. ^ "SnapRoute Snags $25M With AT&T, Microsoft Backing". May 21, 2024.
  32. ^ "HP Partners Cumulus Networks & Accton Technology to Offer Linux-based White-Box Switches to Data Centers". May 21, 2024.
  33. ^ "Dell looks to open up the data center (with a little help from Cumulus)". May 21, 2024.
  34. ^ "Big Switch Networks Releases Big Tap Monitoring Fabric 4.5 -- Next-Gen Network Packet Broker for Pervasive Security and Visibility" (Press release). May 21, 2024.
  35. ^ "Local area networks: proceedings". May 21, 2024. p. 2.
  36. ^ "Services and Operations". April 16, 2019.
  37. ^ "Demand for 400G switches could boost Accton's sales". January 21, 2019.
  38. ^ "Annual Reports".
  39. ^ "Accton Technology Corporation (2345.TW)". April 16, 2019.
  40. ^ a b "Governance". March 27, 2024.
  41. ^ "Ministry of Science and Hsinchu Science Park to promote equal rights in the workplace (Chinese)". September 4, 2018.
  42. ^ "Premium Excellence Awards (Chinese)". December 3, 2018.
  43. ^ "3Com forms new company to handle modem business". The New York Times. June 7, 2000. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  44. ^ "Chief of U.S. Robotics Is Dismissed After Clashing With Chairman". The New York Times. May 16, 2001. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  45. ^ "L. I. @Work". The New York Times. April 18, 2004. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  46. ^ "802.11 WG Chairs' received email letter response from CSIRO regarding LoA requests for IEEE P802.11n". September 27, 2007.
  47. ^ Hutcheon, Stephen. Bonanza for CSIRO after landmark patent win, The Sydney Morning Herald, April 23, 2009. Accessed September 1, 2009.
  48. ^ Edwards, Kathryn. CSIRO settles wireless battle, Computerworld, April 22, 2009. Accessed September 1, 2009.
  49. ^ MacBean, Nic. Patent proceeds to fund new CSIRO research, ABC News, April 22, 2009. Accessed September 1, 2009.