Broadcom Targets SFP+

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq: BRCM), a global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications, today announces that its recently introduced 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) serial transceiver, with advanced digital signal processing (DSP) equalizer technology, now interoperates with leading SFP+ (small form factor pluggable) module products.

Successful interoperability testing has enabled Broadcom to demonstrate working SFP+ module products that interface directly to the Broadcom(R) BCM8706 at this year's Optical Fiber Conference (OFC). As a result, leading OEMs can now cost effectively build modules to the developing SFP+ standard, with confidence and with the latest cutting-edge features that will help drive SFP+ technology to widespread adoption.

The SFP+ specification is an ongoing 10Gbps (Gigabit per second) standard developed by the Small Form Factor (SFF) committee with a goal of extending the original specification to leverage host-based electronic dispersion compensation (EDC) technology. Incorporated within a module, SFP+ converts the serial electrical signals to external serial optical or electrical signals enabling the technology to be used in SFP+ line card applications. Prior to SFP+, the module implementation was based on much larger form factors, such as X2 and XENPAK, and when compared to these modules, SFP+ increases port density by more than 300%. Additionally, SFP+ supports applications including OC192/STM-64, 10G Fibre Channel, G.709 and 10GbE. The SFF committee, of which Broadcom is an active and founding member, brings together leading networking system, server, optical module, semiconductor and connector companies from both the telecommunications and data communications markets.

"Broadcom changed the industry a few years back by being the first company to ship copper PHYs in high volume production based entirely on DSP technology that consistently performed and soon replaced the established analog PHYs in the market," said Dr. Ali Ghiasi, Senior Principal Scientist for Broadcom Corporation and SFF-8431 Technical Editor. "Similarly, the BCM8706 with DSP equalizer technology, along with lower cost and power-efficient SFP+ modules, will enable mass deployment of trustworthy 10GbE designs."

Broadcom Corp. (Nasdaq: BRCM)