Gigabits per Second (Gbps)
Gigabits per second (Gbps) is a unit of data transfer rate that measures the speed at which data is transmitted over a network or communication channel. One gigabit is equal to 1 billion bits, and Gbps quantifies the number of these bits transferred per second. This metric is commonly used to describe the bandwidth of network interfaces, fiber optic connections, and high-speed data transmission standards such as Ethernet and PCI Express. For instance, a 1 Gbps connection can transfer approximately 125 megabytes of data per second, making it a critical measure in determining network performance and capacity.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_rate_units
The importance of Gbps in modern computing lies in its ability to indicate the efficiency and throughput of systems. Technologies like 400G Ethernet, which supports data rates of 400 Gbps, highlight how Gbps enables advancements in cloud computing, data centers, and telecommunications. The increasing adoption of 5G networks and next-generation PCI Express standards like PCIe 5.0 and PCIe 6.0 also underscores the significance of Gbps in meeting the rising demands for faster data access and processing.
https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/gigabit-per-second-Gbps
Gbps is not limited to networking; it is also widely used in storage systems and GPU technologies to describe memory and interface bandwidth. For example, high-performance SSDs use interfaces like NVMe and PCIe to achieve data transfer rates measured in Gbps. Similarly, GPUs with GDDR6X memory achieve memory bandwidth in the hundreds of Gbps, enabling real-time processing of large datasets. As computing systems evolve, Gbps continues to be a benchmark for evaluating the speed and capability of data transfer technologies.