60 GHz Data-Center Networking: Wireless) Worry less?

Cabling complexity in data centers is reaching unmanageable proportions, leading to maintenance challenges, inefcient cooling, and substantial operational costs (about 7-8 % of the total infrastructure cost according to a recent study). To reduce this com-plexity, this paper envisions replacing some or all of the wires in the data centers with wireless interconnects operating in the 60 GHz range. We describe several features that 60 GHz radios offer, and discuss their suitability in meeting the stringent capac-ity, reliability and security requirements in data centers. We propose an approach to enable rapid and seamless deployment of wireless interconnects in data centers, and identify interesting challenges in realizing this vision.