The Energy Sciences Network’s roots stretch back to the mid-1970s, when staff at the CTR Computer Center at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory installed four acoustic modems on a borrowed Control Data Corp. 6600 computer and connected it to ARPANET.

The network now known as ESnet was formally created in October 1986 as a merger between the Magnetic Fusion Energy Network, or MFEnet — which connected Livermore's Magnetic Fusion Energy Computing Center to researchers at General Atomics, Los Alamos, Oak Ridge, and Princeton Plasma Physics Lab — and the High Energy Physics Network, or HEPnet. ESnet began offering networking services less than two years later.

Since then, many things have changed. Network speeds have gone from 56 kbps in 1986 to up to 1.6 Tbps in 2026, more than 28 million times faster. We carry 100,000 times more data. ESnet has gone through six distinct iterations, won numerous awards, and achieved many milestones in networking. Yet ESnet’s vision remains unchanged: Erasing distance to enable breakthroughs in fusion, physics, cosmology, and other vital scientific fields.

Today ESnet is America’s premier network dedicated to scientific research, supporting Department of Energy-funded collaborations around the globe as well as serving as the backbone of the Genesis Mission’s American Science Cloud platform.

40TH ANNIVERSARY EVENTS

We're celebrating in person, virtually, and on social media (follow #ESnetTurns40 on LinkedIn).

Nov. 16 Celebration at SC26 in Chicago

Don't miss our special event at SC26 on Monday, Nov. 16, from 7:30-8:30 pm in the DOE Booth (#4829)! ESnet Executive Director Inder Monga will give a very brief history of ESnet and then pass the mic to illustrious well-wishers, including: 

• Hal Finkel, Associate Director, Advanced Scientific Computing Research, DOE
• Kathy Yelick, Director, Berkeley Lab
• Rick Stevens, Associate Laboratory Director for the Computing, Environment and Life Sciences (CELS) Directorate, Argonne National Laboratory
• James Amundson, CIO, FermiLab
• Jana Thayer, Division Lead, LCLS Data Systems at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
• Julio Ibarra, AmLight and Vera Rubin NetworkEngineering
• Tripti Sinha, President and CEO, Internet2
• Rodney Wilson, Chief Technologist, Research Networks, Ciena 
• Steve Vogelsang, Chief Technology Officer, Nokia Federal Solutions
• Greg Cotter, Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer, Corelight, and former ESnet Director
• Dylan Jacob, SCinet Chair and ESnet Core Routing and Optical Network Group Lead

Join us for toasts and commemorative treats, courtesy of our 40th anniversary Gold and Silver sponsors! No RSVP required.

Nov. 4 Virtual Celebration

Former ESnet heads Bill Johnston, Steve Cotter, and Greg Bell, and current Executive Director Inder Monga participated in a Directors' Roundtable Q&A

As befitting a networking organization, we know how to throw a pretty good online party! Almost 200 people from 30-plus organizations joined ESnet's virtual celebration on Nov. 4, including leaders, alumni, and partners from across the research and education community. The program opened with a short speech, "Top 10 Reasons Why ESnet is Still Going Strong," by ESnet Executive Director Inder Monga, followed by toasts from ASCR's Ben Brown and Carol Hawk and Berkeley Lab's Kathy Yelick and Jonathan Carter. Former ESnet directors Bill Johnston, Steve Cotter, and Greg Bell joined Monga for a lively discussion on the proudest accomplishments and most daunting challenges of their tenures.

After a stretch/snack break with history trivia, speakers from national laboratories, international and regional networks, and science collaborations, including DIII-D, Fermilab, GEANT, The Quilt, Oak Ridge, Jefferson Lab, and AmLight, shared reflections on ESnet's impact. The formal program closed with an ESnet@50 time capsule, then attendees could join breakout rooms organized by ESnet era to swap stories and socialize.

Relive the event on YouTube:

• Part 1: "10 Reasons Why ESnet is Still Going Strong" + toasts from DOE/LBNL Leadership
• Part 2: The Directors' Roundtable, moderated by Michael Sinatra
• Part 3: Toasts from Longtime Community Partners + ESnet@50 Predictions

WHAT COLLABORATORS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT ESNET

Sign our guestbook, and share your ESnet story with us!

Sign our guestbook, and share your ESnet story with us!