BRCM: Broadcom Announces Industry's First All DSP-Based 10 Gigabit Ethernet Serial Transceiver With Breakthrough Equalizer Technology

Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq: BRCM), a global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications, today announced a new 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) physical layer (PHY) device that leverages its field proven digital signal processing (DSP) technology. The industry's first all DSP-based 10GbE serial transceiver enables IT professionals to preserve their existing multi-mode and single-mode fiber infrastructures by providing an upgrade path from 1 Gigabit Ethernet (1GbE) to 10GbE. The unique high-speed DSP provides significant performance, manufacturing and reliability advantages over competing analog solutions that will help drive significant growth in the 10GbE market. Utilizing the new Broadcom® DSP-based 10GbE PHY, enterprise data centers can now achieve higher bandwidth and performance, while maintaining significant savings in cost, resources and manpower when upgrading to 10GbE links.
Broadcom's 10GbE DSP PHY exceeds the requirements of the new IEEE802.aq standard, which was developed to provide a low cost 10x speed upgrade for existing Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) links in multi-mode fiber (MMF) applications. Today, more complex and higher cost 10GBASE-LX4 optical modules are currently servicing this market creating the need for simpler and lower cost solutions. Additionally, as density of 10GbE line cards increase from 8 to 16 channels today to as many as 48 channels on next generation designs, new smaller form factors and lower cost 10 Gigabit modules (such as SFP+) will be required. Broadcom is uniquely positioned to address these market deficiencies with its new 10GbE serial PHY.

"Broadcom's all DSP-based 10GbE PHY will enable future products that are consistent, predictable and have more tolerance to power supply noise and temperature variations. Additionally, when the PHY performs signal detection using advanced signal processing with DSP, it provides a significant performance advantage when compared to analog solutions," said Nariman Yousefi, Vice President and General Manager of Broadcom's Physical Layer line of business. "As a result of this new technology, the all DSP-based PHY provides the highest level of production quality that can also be easily integrated in complex ASICs, and together with Ethernet switch and controller products, provides a complete end-to-end solution that guarantees network design interoperability."

Broadcom changed the industry by being the first company to ship PHYs in high volume production based entirely on DSP technology. Today, all 10/100/1000 Megabit per second (Mbps) PHYs in the market are DSP-based, and Broadcom's new 10 Gigabit DSP equalizer technology will help to enable the rapid growth in data-intensive applications in next generation designs.

"With the growth of computational power and the number of servers in data centers, the requirement for high-speed connectivity becomes a critical requirement. As 10GbE technology becomes more cost-effective over the existing infrastructure that includes MMF, it will make strides to become the interconnection of choice in servicing the high bandwidth needs of the enterprise," said Jag Bolaria, Senior Analyst at The Linley Group. "We expect Broadcom's new 10GbE PHY technology to enable these high bandwidth links, which are expected to grow at a significant rate for the next few years."

Announced today is the Broadcom BCM8706 10GbE (SFP+ to XAUI) transceiver that builds on five generations of field proven 10GbE serial PHY technology, and will be used in SFP+ line card applications and inside X2 optical modules. The DSP equalizer provides optimal performance over 300 meters of multi-mode fiber that exceeds the IEEE specified link distance of 220 meters. An on-chip micro-controller provides additional flexibility to maintain optimal performance in even the most challenging operating conditions.

In support of the new SFP+ optical module standard, the BCM8706 product family incorporates multi-tap transmit pre-emphasis to compensate for FR-4 board material loss in line card applications. For additional flexibility, it supports backward compatibility using existing 1GbE SFP modules, providing a single PHY design that is capable of interfacing to both new and legacy Ethernet interfaces from a single PCB design.

Broadcom's complete end-to-end Ethernet networking product portfolio includes switching products, transceivers, security processors and high-speed controllers for servers, workstations, desktops and mobile PCs, providing the industry's most comprehensive portfolio of GbE networking solutions, and the most widely deployed and field proven in the industry.

Availability and Pricing

The BCM8706 serial 10GbE transceiver is a low power, 90nm device that is now sampling to early access customers. It is available in a 13mm x 13mm, PBGA, RoHS-compliant package and is compliant to all serial 10GbE interfaces including 10GBASE-SR, 10GBASE-LRM, 10GBASE-LR and 10GBASE-ER. Volume production is scheduled for the second quarter of 2007. Pricing is available upon request.