Broadcom launches 100GbE switching solution

     Broadcom announced the launch of the world's densiest 100GbE switching solution, the BCM88650 series, which enables a high-density switching platform design with up to 4,000 100GbE ports. The BCM88650 System on a Chip (SoC) offers the highest level of integration in the industry, with full line-card functionality integrated in a single chip. The BCM88650 SoC, together with Broadcom's leading FE1600 (BCM88750) switching matrix, enables a new generation of high-density networking solutions with speeds in excess of 100Tbps.

     With the increasing popularity of social networking, streaming media, and high-bandwidth business services, the need for higher speed networks is also growing at an alarming rate. As a result, a scalable and affordable 100GbE platform is a key requirement for a new generation of switching infrastructure. Large data centers with thousands of servers require high-density core switching platforms with 100Gbps interfaces to support increasing access capabilities such as 10G PON. The BCM88650 series is the only commercial chip solution capable of handling single-stream 200Gbps traffic at Layers 2 to 4, integrating advanced packet classification and deep buffering traffic management capabilities to support data center and carrier Ethernet and meet packet transmission requirements.

     Analysts expect 100GbE technology to grow significantly faster than 40GbE within the first year of launch. In many ways, 40G acts as a trailblazer for 100G, reducing component-level risk and familiarizing operators and test equipment vendors with coherent Network1.

     Unmatched integration reduces board size, power consumption, and system cost. The BCM88650's unmatched integration enables device manufacturers to reduce board size, power consumption, and system cost. The unified architecture enables system vendors to develop a scalable product line with the same switching architecture to meet the needs of a variety of densities and applications.

     Carrier access switching solutions with total capacity of hundreds of Gbps can be designed with a single BCM88650 device. The BCM88650 can also be used to design enclosures with a total capacity of 25Tbps for data center core networks or carrier core networks. In addition, multiple chassis of different capacities can be interlinked to build a scalable core platform and provide up to 4,000 100GbE wire-speed ports or a corresponding number of 40GbE/10GbE ports.