Broadcom Introduces Industry’s First Ethernet Switching Silicon for 100 Tbps Scalable Systems

As a result of increasing video and data traffic, massive scalability and ultra high bandwidth are key requirements for next generation switching infrastructures. Large data centers with thousands of servers will soon require 100 Gbps network connectivity in the core and for interconnecting data centers, while large service provider networks will require core routers with 100 Gbps interfaces. The BCM88600 series integrates the features and functionality of an entire high-performance line card into a single chip, thus enabling a new generation of ultra high bandwidth networking solutions. Today’s announcement also marks the successful integration of Dune Networks’ (acquired December 2009) switch fabric solutions into the Broadcom product portfolio.

Highly Scalable, Flexible Solution

The BCM88600 series can be used to build a variety of network switch solutions, from small fixed configurations to large standalone modular chassis-based solutions. Multiple chassis of different sizes can be seamlessly interconnected via a two-stage fabric element organization (e.g. FE600), delivering more than 10,000 wire-speed ports of 10GbE or 40GbE/100GbE equivalent. The unified infrastructure enables system vendors to build a single, scalable product line sharing the same switching infrastructure to address a variety of densities and applications.

Additional Highlights/Key Facts:

* The BCM88600 series is supported by Broadcom’s common Application Programming Interface (API).
* The BCM88600 series features the only merchant silicon solution that can process a single stream of 100GbE at Layer 2-Layer 4 with integrated traffic management capabilities.
* The BCM88600 series offers several variations designed to meet the needs of specific applications including data centers, enterprise, optical transport networks (OTNs), routers and other service provider systems.
* Broadcom also offers complementary silicon and software solutions for the data center market segment including:

o BCM56845 – 64-port 10GbE switch, configurable for 40GbE

o BCM84834 – Quad-port 10GBASE-T PHY

o BCM57712 – 10GbE dual-port converged network interface controller (C-NIC)

o BCM8754 – Quad-channel 10GbE SFP+ PHY

* The BCM88600 series is now sampling to early access customers.