Car owners know too well the frustrations of traffic congestion, but another form of gridlock can bedevil even those indoors.

Widespread use of computers and increasingly innovative online business models are pushing data traffic beyond the limit of even large-volume servers.

Service providers and in-house computer departments are often required to buy new equipment to keep up with the torrid pace.

Yet routers created by Deng Chaojun, director of hardware development at Huawei, create a new path around congestion.

Known to professionals as in-service expansion, the patented technology can increase data capacity on existing servers.

The most difficult part of the technology is how to accurately compile data on the main server, as well as between routers, Deng said.

To date, the 1,200 Huawei NE5000E routers serving the Internet have earned Huawei more than 2 billion yuan ($301 million).

The technology brought Deng a China Patent Award gold medal and a national award for technological progress.

He attributed the honor to his research team and support from the company.

"I learned how to turn an idea into a reality at Huawei," Deng said. "Different from research in a university that focuses on resolving a technical problem, we also consider how the solution can bring market value."

"Our company encourages innovation," he said.

"If you have an idea that is really good for the company yet your direct supervisor cannot see its value, you can submit your proposal to higher-level management all the way to the top," he added.

Sometimes for the innovation it is not an invention, but insight into a trend.

Deng said while he was researching other technology - information exchange about 12 years ago - he wondered about a time when data flow could overwhelm routers.

He found a solution, developed a model and applied for a patent in 2000. Few people in China then thought about the coming explosion of data on the Internet.

In 2007, the NE5000E router using his patented technology was commercialized.

"It is a really core technology and usually takes a graduate three to four years to understand," said the scholarly creator.

China Daily

(China Daily 11/24/2010 page11)