ultralowlatency

Ultralowlatency refers to systems designed to minimize end-to-end delay to near real-time levels. It spans domains such as electronic trading, online gaming, live audio and video, telepresence, and industrial automation. The target latency is context dependent, ranging from microseconds to a few milliseconds in controlled environments to single-digit milliseconds over broader networks.

Latency consists of propagation, transmission, processing, and queuing delays. Improvements come from faster media and routing, low-latency switch designs, kernel-bypass networking, and real-time operating systems. Deterministic networking approaches, such as Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN), aim to bound delays and jitter. Protocols optimized for low latency, including QUIC, WebRTC, and low-latency codecs, are commonly used. Deployments often rely on edge computing and proximity-aware infrastructure to shorten physical distance and reduce bottlenecks.

Measurement uses end-to-end latency, one-way or round-trip time, with metrics for jitter and loss. Accurate assessment relies on clock synchronization (PTP or NTP) and precise timestamping. Standards focus on predictability and bounded delays, not just maximum throughput. Real-world results vary with traffic, hardware, and distance.

Applications include finance, where microsecond advantages can matter; interactive media and gaming; and automated industry processes requiring rapid feedback. Challenges include cost, complexity, and maintaining reliability under congestion or packet loss. Achieving ultralow latency requires coordinated optimization across hardware, software, and networks.