Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California (CENIC)

The Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California (CENIC) is a nonprofit organization established in 1997. Its core mission is to connect California to the world by advancing education and research statewide, providing a world-class network essential for innovation, collaboration, and economic growth. CENIC operates the California Research and Education Network (CalREN), a high-capacity computer network spanning over 8,000 miles of optical fiber. The organization's headquarters are located in La Mirada, California, with a satellite office in San Francisco.

CENIC provides a comprehensive suite of advanced networking services through its multi-tiered CalREN infrastructure, which includes the Digital California (CalREN-DC) network for general educational use, the High-Performance Research (CalREN-HPR) network for large-application users, and the eXperimental/Developmental (CalREN-XD) network for cutting-edge research. Key services also include DDoS Mitigation, and connectivity to national and international research networks like Internet2 and Pacific Wave. CENIC serves over 20 million users across California, encompassing K-20 students, educators, researchers, and vital public-serving institutions such as the University of California, California State University, California Community Colleges, the K-12 system, and public libraries.

Recent developments for CENIC include the completion of an 800 Gbps upgrade to its CalREN backbone, enhancing network capacity for its members. The organization is actively involved in initiatives such as the Broadband Infrastructure Grant (BIG) program, aiming to extend fiber broadband connectivity to underserved schools. CENIC has also developed CENIC Sentinel, a disaster recovery solution to ensure continuous connectivity during emergencies, and supports CENIC AIR, a platform designed to enable AI, Machine Learning, and Data Science research and education. Louis Fox serves as the President & CEO, and Samuel Sudhakar assumed the role of Board Chair in February 2024.