New services including video streaming, cloud services and mobile broadband are driving IP/MPLS core network traffic demand at annual rates of 35% to 85%. At the same time service providers’ business models are changing so that there is no longer a simple linkage between traffic growth and revenue growth. This puts tremendous pressure on service providers’ cost structures. Core routers, consequently, must flexibly support rapid scale increases and meet demanding network availability objectives with the lowest possible total cost of ownership.