Source: Own illustration
Once a year, the ACI User Group brings together experts from academia and industry to discuss the latest developments in modern data center networks. This year, the meeting took place June 23–24, 2026, at BMW in Dingolfing, Bavaria. A total of 40 participants from various sectors—including service providers, banks, automotive manufacturers, and the IT Center at RWTH Aachen University – exchanged views on current challenges and future developments in the operation of complex IT infrastructures.
The IT Center also plays an active role in shaping the User Group: Our colleague Benedikt Paffen, as a user representative in the Cisco environment, was involved early in the conceptual planning and further development of the event, contributing the users’ perspective.
Key topics included high-performance networks for AI applications, IPv6 integration, compliance management, monitoring, increasing security requirements, and the future of virtualization. The annual event provides a platform for exchanging experiences, evaluating new technologies, and jointly discussing solutions for the further development of modern data center environments.
AI applications are changing the demands placed on networks
A key topic at this year’s ACI User Group was the growing importance of high-performance network infrastructures for machine learning and AI applications. Modern AI systems place high demands on the underlying infrastructure: Large volumes of data must be transferred quickly, reliably, and with minimal latency between different systems and data centers.
Among other topics, discussions focused on concepts for interconnecting multiple data centers and building stable, high-performance backend networks. RoCEv2 (RDMA over Converged Ethernet Version 2) played a particularly important role in this context. The technology enables highly efficient data transmission and is increasingly being used for demanding AI and high-performance applications.
The IT Center is also actively involved in the further development of such technologies: Together with Cisco, initial tests were conducted with RoCEv2 to evaluate its potential applications for the Center’s own requirements – including regarding IPv6 support. In addition, the IT Center participated in the development of a Validated Design to incorporate practical experience into the further development and evaluation of the technology.
IPv6 in ACI: IT Center keeps setting the standard
The integration of IPv6 into ACI environments was once again a key topic of discussion. The IT Center activated and tested initial features early on and gained valuable experience in this area. As a result, the IT Center continues to play a pioneering role in IPv6 integration within modern data center networks.
While many organizations are currently facing the challenge of phasing in IPv6, the IT Center already has practical experience with its implementation within a production-ready ACI environment. This step is an important contribution to the long-term futureproofing and scalability of the infrastructure.
The importance of IPv6 continues to grow in the business world as well. As available IPv4 address space becomes increasingly limited, the ability to operate modern networks in an IPv6-enabled manner is becoming an ever more critical prerequisite for future-proof IT infrastructures.
Modern Data Centers: Security, monitoring and certifiability
In addition to developments in the field of AI, this year’s ACI User Group once again placed a stronger focus on traditional data center topics. Among other things, participants discussed the interconnection of multiple data centers, policy enforcement, monitoring, and the further development of operational processes.
BMW provided insights into its own ACI environment and demonstrated, among other things, how configurations and operational processes are designed. Particular emphasis was placed on preparing for and implementing requirements from the NIS 2 Directive, as well as on how modern data centers can be prepared for increasing security and compliance requirements.
Focus on the future of virtualization
Another key topic of discussion was the future of virtualization solutions, particularly considering current developments surrounding VMware ESXi. These market changes are currently a focus for numerous companies and research institutions.
During the ACI User Group meeting, participants discussed their experiences with existing platforms, potential alternatives, and strategies for the future operation of virtualized infrastructures. The open exchange among participants provided valuable insights into different approaches and challenges.
Collaborative Exchange as the foundation for future developments
Year after year, the ACI User Group demonstrates the importance of collaboration between research and industry. The event offers a valuable opportunity to share experiences, evaluate new technologies, and jointly develop solutions to the challenges of modern IT infrastructures.
For the IT Center, regular dialogue with other organizations serves as an important catalyst for continuously improving its own infrastructure and being prepared for technological changes at an early stage.
Background: What is ACI?
Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) is the IT Center’s data center networking solution and forms the foundation for the network connectivity of more than 1,500 virtual machines and numerous bare-metal servers.
The ACI architecture enables centralized and automated management of network and security policies. Using the DataCenter-Admin management platform developed by the IT Center, administrators can manage the infrastructure in a controlled manner and efficiently deploy configurations via the ACI environment.
By combining centralized control, automation, and flexible scalability, ACI supports the reliable operation of modern IT infrastructures for research, teaching, and administration.
Would you like to review the topics that have shaped past ACI User Group meetings? You can find all posts from previous meetings and further insights on our blog.
Responsible for the content of this article are Nicole Kaminski and Benedikt Paffen.
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