The traditional, IP-centric way of building networks is simply unsustainable: The ever-increasing inefficiency of continually adding more IPs makes network operations overly complex and unmanageable. The new IP network must be open, programmable, disaggregated, and virtualized in a way that allows resources to be reconfigured rapidly, without physical intervention. To address the new IP network requirements, Ciena has introduced Adaptive IP, an innovative approach that offers the essential IP capabilities required to support new applications while allowing network operators to benefit from cloud-like scale, disaggregated functionality, and AI.