Mahi Networks

About Mahi Networks

Mahi Networks was a venture-funded network equipment startup based in Petaluma, California, founded in 1999 by Chris Rust. The company was a notable part of the "Telecom Valley" cluster of telecommunications firms in Sonoma County. It focused on developing carrier-class multiservice switching platforms for metropolitan and regional networks.

The company's main product was the Mi7 Metro Core Aggregation System, a 320 Gbit/s multi-service switching platform that supported SONET/SDH, TDM, MPLS/Ethernet switching, and IP routing. This system was designed to consolidate various network functions into a single platform, simplifying central office architectures and reducing operational costs for network operators. The technology was based on the "Tiny Tera" architecture developed at Stanford University, which allowed for high throughput using commercially available CMOS technology. By June 2001, Mahi had raised nearly $60 million in venture funding and had grown to over 300 employees but had not yet secured a major sale.

In 2005, Mahi Networks was acquired by Meriton Networks, a Canadian optical networking company. This move was intended to enhance Meriton's product portfolio with Mahi's metro switching technologies. Following the acquisition, Mahi's product line was narrowed to focus on a reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexer (ROADM). Meriton, along with Mahi's technology, was subsequently acquired by Xtera Communications in 2008.