Editor: Linley
Gwennap In This Issue
Get up to speed on the latest developments in NPUs with A Guide to Network Processors, Sixth Edition. Order before October 31 and get a special prepublication discount. For more information, visit our web site. This week, PMC-Sierra unveiled its next-generation MIPS processor, the RM11200. The 90nm device, due to sample in 2Q05, will include two MIPS CPUs running at speeds of up to 1.8GHz, according to the company's presentation at Fall Processor Forum. The CPUs use the same basic design as in the current RM9000 devices but include larger caches. The new CPU will operate 80% faster than the current products due to the 90nm process and other design optimizations. The RM11200 is a highly integrated processor that includes a high-bandwidth DDR2 SDRAM memory interface and four Gigabit Ethernet MACs. To connect to high-speed peripherals, the chip provides both HyperTransport, for compatibility with previous PMC products, and PCI Express. The PCI Express interface can be configured as two 4-lane connections or a single 8-lane connection. PMC's MIPS processors have historically delivered strong performance per watt, and the new device is no exception. At 20W (max), the RM11200 has surprisingly low power dissipation for a highly integrated processor with two CPUs at speeds approaching 2GHz. Assuming PMC can deliver as promised, the RM11200 will be the fastest MIPS or PowerPC CPU available for dual-processor applications. Its integrated peripherals improve system performance and make it well suited to networking control-plane and services applications. The new design extends PMC's already broad processor line to the highest level of performance. —LG See
PMC present the RM11200 at Network
Systems Design Conference on October 21.
Last week, Freescale disclosed plans for the MPC8641D, its first dual-CPU PowerPC processor. The device combines two e600 (G4) CPUs designed to operate at speeds of up to 1.5GHz. Due to sample in mid-2005, the dual-CPU device will be the third processor to use Freescale's 90nm SOI process, following the MPC7448 and MPC8548 family. The company also plans to release a single-CPU version of the 8641 at the same time as the dual-CPU product. The 8641 is Freescale's first G4 processor with integrated system logic, although it does not use the PowerQuicc brand, which is reserved for integrated PowerPC processors using the e300 (G3) and e500 CPUs. Like the e500-based 8548, the 8641 includes a DDR2 SDRAM controller, four sophisticated GbE MACs, serial RapidIO, and PCI Express. The dual-CPU chip is expected to dissipate up to 25W (typ) with all I/O interfaces operating. With market leaders PMC and Freescale both announcing support for PCI Express on their next-generation processors, the battle between HyperTransport and RapidIO appears to have been decided in favor of PCI Express. We see growing support from chip vendors for PCI Express as a high-bandwidth low-pin-count chip-to-chip connection. The next battle will be between serial RapidIO, Advanced Switching (AS), and proprietary interconnects on the backplane. By deploying a dual-CPU product, Freescale is trying to catch up with MIPS leaders Broadcom and PMC-Sierra, which have been offering dual-CPU devices for some time. The 8641 also solves a shortcoming of Freescale's current lineup: its integrated processors do not scale to the same high clock speeds as its standalone processors. For customers in the PowerPC camp, the 8641 and 8641D will provide a big step up in performance. —LG See Freescale present the MPC8641D at Network Systems Design Conference on October 21. In September, Greenfield Networks announced its third round of funding. The large round of $21.5 million was led by new investor JP Morgan and brings Greenfield's total funding to $48 million. The startup is ramping pilot production during 4Q04 and expects to reach breakeven by the end of 2005. This is an aggressive plan for a company that sampled its first product in March 2004. But Greenfield is targeting high-end Ethernet switches, a segment that has been underserved by market leaders Broadcom and Marvell. —BW This week, Xelerated disclosed its third round of funding. The $10 million round comes from existing investors. The startup has raised more than $36 million while remaining lean with only about 40 employees. Xelerated should see its first significant revenue in 2005 as its initial customers reach production. On the development side, Xelerated is hard at work on its second-generation NPU; the X11 is due to sample in 1Q05. Once focused on OC-768c, Xelerated has thus far navigated a turbulent market and remains a viable high-end NPU contender. —BW Complete coverage of Xelerated's X11 appears in our new report A Guide to Network Processors, Sixth Edition. After announcing its first product in August, Siliquent has raised a sizable $21 million from new and existing investors. The company has raised $40 million in total while developing a protocol processor that performs TCP termination, iSCSI, and RDMA at up to 10Gbps, making it suited to 10G Ethernet NICs and IP storage HBAs. Siliquent is the first company to deliver a chip-level product for this market. Storage processor vendor Aristos Logic has scored $12 million in Series D funding, all from existing investors, bringing its total investment to $65 million. The company currently offers the FibreSlice processor, which acts as a 2G Fibre Channel RAID controller, and is developing a second-generation device for the SATA/SAS market. This new support indicates that Aristos's investors are satisfied with the company's progress in gaining customers for its storage processor. Complete
coverage of the Aristos FibreSlice appears in our report A
Guide to Storage Networking Silicon.
Budget too tight to afford a full conference pass? You can still visit over 50 vendor exhibits, mingle at the receptions, hear the keynote speakers, and attend several open sessions for only $50. Don't miss the only conference focused exclusively on network systems design! Attend NSDC and get positioned for success. For more information, visit the NSDC web site. Are you up to speed on the evolution taking place in Sonet? Get on the information fast track with A Guide to Next-Generation Sonet Silicon, the ultimate resource on the products, vendors, and technologies designed for these network edge and metro applications. We provide the crucial information you need on mappers for Ethernet, Fibre Channel, and RPR, as well as ADM chips from vendors such as Agere, PMC-Sierra, AMCC, Vitesse, Cypress, Infineon, Alliance, and TranSwitch. The report also covers innovative products from startup vendors such as Galazar, Parama, and Arrive Technologies. Which products and vendors are well positioned in the next-generation
Sonet and RPR markets? Which target markets and applications
bear watching? Only
The Linley
Group can provide the technology analysis you need to make informed business
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