SUNNYVALE, Calif. -- Juniper Networks ^®, (NYSE: JNPR), a leader in secure, AI-driven networks, today unveiled Juniper Beyond Labs, a new initiative focused on shaping the future of the networking and IT industries with pioneering research, pathfinding projects and experimental technology developments. Juniper Beyond Labs will leverage innovation centers in Sunnyvale, Bengaluru, India and Westford, Massachusetts. Juniper Beyond Labs will collaborate with a community of academic and industry partners with a goal of breaking new ground for sustainable leading edge networking technologies to help meet the future needs of a digital world.

Almost every aspect of the global economy now touches the network in some way, and this will only continue as AI, machine learning and cloud services continue to proliferate alongside an exponential increase in connected users and devices. This has created opportunities, but also infrastructure complexities, security vulnerabilities and environmental challenges that require new ways of deploying and managing network technology to improve the experience of network users and operators. Juniper Beyond Labs will help incubate big ideas and innovative solutions to the world’s toughest technology challenges.

For Juniper customers and partners, such as Eurofiber and Intel, along with the broader academic community like Purdue University, Juniper Beyond Labs will provide an opportunity to influence research directions and pathfinding projects. The resulting contributions could spur proof-of-concept demos and the ability to provide feedback to shape the direction of research. Participating members, will also have access to Juniper Beyond Labs research and innovation developed. As an example, Juniper will be extending its collaboration with Intel and work on the integration of the Intel FlexRAN Reference Architecture, private 5G networks, Juniper RAN Intelligent Controller and the Juniper Cloud-Native Router on Intel Xeon processors, to enable new capabilities to support 5G transformation.

Juniper Beyond Labs research will focus on a cross section of networking domains, including IT, Data Center, Security, AI/Automation, Network Operations, WAN and 5G/6G along with emerging areas, like Quantum Computing, where research is ongoing. In particular, Juniper Beyond Labs will prioritize sustainability as an integral part of network design principles and related use cases to help network operators meet sustainability targets. For example, the Juniper RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) platform today offers energy savings features such as traffic steering that allows efficient utilization of network resources to meet capacity demands while avoiding additional capital investments.

While Juniper Beyond Labs is officially launching today, it has already developed the award-winning Juniper RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) and the disruptive Juniper Cloud-Native Router (JCNR) which takes full advantage of container economics and operational efficiencies to provide service providers flexibility in deploying 5G.

Supporting Quotes:

“I’m a researcher at heart, so I’m thrilled that Juniper Beyond Labs will give us a newfound ability to research, tinker and experiment more freely with next-generation network technology to solve massive challenges the industry faces. Some of the solutions we develop could become commercially available, but the goal is to push the limits of what we think is possible to meet the needs of an evolving digital world.”

- Raj Yavatkar, Chief Technology Officer, Juniper Networks

“Quantum computers will eventually challenge encryption techniques, which is why Eurofiber and Juniper Networks have launched a Quantum testbed in the Netherlands. Together with Juniper Beyond Labs we are innovating a new security approach, using Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) and Post Quantum Cryptography (PQC).”

- Eric Kuisch – Chief Operating Officer, Eurofiber

“Working to address industry challenges requires innovation that starts at the community level. Our collaboration with Juniper across network initiatives has helped to accelerate the RAN ecosystem with tangible business outcomes at mobile operators. We look forward to continuing this momentum through our participation in Beyond Labs to advance how the digital world connects.”

- Dan Rodriguez, CVP Network and Edge Solutions Group, INTEL

“Network automation is key to making as-a-service, private LTE & 5G connectivity offerings a reality for enterprises. Juniper's Beyond Labs efforts could position Juniper for success with automation and other adjacent enterprise services and applications.”

- Will Townsend, VP & Principal Analyst, Moor Insights & Strategy

“As a computer science professor at Purdue, I have had the pleasure of collaborating with Juniper with my undergraduate and graduate students. Our engagement with Juniper has been both rewarding and inspiring, providing us with valuable insights and knowledge. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to continue this collaboration through the Juniper Beyond Labs program.”

- Sonia Fahmy, Professor of Computer Science, Purdue University