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Time is running out to reserve your place for our seminar on Embedded Network Security Design on September 21 in San Jose. Qualified attendees earn FREE admission courtesy of our sponsors, Freescale, AMCC, SafeNet, Cavium, Hifn, Sensory, Tarari, and The Linley Group. For a complete program listing and registration information, visit our web site. Cavium Announces Next-Gen Nitrox Chips This week, Cavium announced its Nitrox PX line of next-generation lookaside security processors. Compared with the original Nitrox line, the PX products add support for new security algorithms and PCI Express. The new chips range in performance from 500Mbps of throughput and 4,000 RSA operations per second to 2.5Gbps and 17,000 RSA operations per second. The CN15xx chips offer a 64-bit PCI-X interface and are pin and software compatible with the Nitrox CN1120, while the CN16xx chips integrate a PCIe x4 interface. Like the Nitrox II CN2800 sampled earlier this year, the Nitrox PX chips add support for SHA-2, AES-GCM, and RSA 4,096. Because SHA-1 is vulnerable to collision attacks, the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recommends the immediate implementation of SHA-2 in the most susceptible applications. By contrast, AES-GCM is simply more efficient to implement in silicon than 3DES and other flavors of AES, which remain secure. The other major addition to Nitrox PX is support for the Kasumi encryption algorithm used in cellular-infrastructure equipment. By eliminating support for external memory, Cavium has reduced Nitrox PX power dissipation to an estimated 2-3 watts. Priced at $49-$139 in 1K quantity, the CN15xx and CN16xx chips are due to sample in 4Q06. Cavium will also offer board-level products for PCI-X and PCIe based on the new chips. Nitrox PX is not the first lookaside security processor for PCIe, as it will sample about one year later than Broadcom's BCM5862. But Nitrox PX is the first lookaside chip for PCIe or PCI-X to support SHA-2 and AES-GCM, both of which could be important for new VPN designs. The addition of Kasumi support enables Cavium to address a new market, but here Freescale and Wintegra offer access processors with integrated Kasumi encryption as an alternative. While not revolutionary, Nitrox PX is an important refresh to Cavium's mainstream security processors. The new products also demonstrate Cavium's ongoing commitment to Nitrox despite the company's heavy investment in its Octeon MIPS-based processors. —Bob Cavium CTO Raghib Hussain will give a talk on Nitrox PX at our Embedded Network-Security Design seminar on September 21st.
Yesterday, Cortina Systems announced the acquisition of Intel's optical network components. We are amazed that the startup could raise $132 million to fund the acquisition. We estimate the revenue from the acquired components to contribute around $100 million—more than quadrupling our estimates of Cortina's current revenue run rate. Traditionally, these types of components have long life cycles and should continue to generate revenue for 2 to 3 years. Cortina currently ships RPR MACs, framers, Ethernet MACs, and SARing components. The acquisition expands Cortina's product line with TDM, optical components, and Ethernet components, which include T1/E1 devices, OC-192/OC-48 framers, 10Gbps Ethernet MACs, and FE MAC/PHYs. The company can continue selling these devices to a customer base that overlaps much of Cortina's current set of customers. Although Intel had significant revenue from this business unit, it was losing money and losing market share. The company had already reduced investment in these areas, and the sale represents another step in the ongoing dismemberment of Intel's communications business. Now, Cortina must decide which product lines to cut and which are worth further investment. To manage its burn rate, we expect Cortina to retain no more than half of the Intel employees involved in these businesses. The company can apply the new OC-192 products to its existing backhaul market and use these products to develop next-generation Ethernet-over-Sonet products. In addition, Intel's 10GbE technology complements Cortina's RPR technology in metro Ethernet and enterprise backbone applications. —Jag Additional coverage of Cortina appears in our High-Speed Interconnects report.
Now in its 3rd edition, A Guide to Gigabit and 10G Ethernet Chips has been extensively revised to bring you the latest developments in the booming Gigabit and 10G Ethernet market. Here are some of the many highlights you will find in this new edition:
Unlike typical market research, this report provides technology analysis and head-to-head product comparisons. Which chips will win designs and why? How will these vendors be positioned as GbE and 10GbE continue to grow? Only The Linley Group's unique technology analysis can provide this forward-looking view. We separate the fact from fiction and provide the technology analysis you need to make informed business decisions. For more information on this new edition, visit our web site. To receive The Linley Wire via e-mail, click here
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