Freescale Updates PowerQuicc

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Freescale Semiconductor (NYSE:FSL) (NYSE:FSL.B) envisions a world in which high-performance, secure networks are available to everyone. To help make this vision a reality, Freescale has developed an innovative, multicore processor architecture that handles control/data plane and application-aware content processing, deep packet inspection, pattern matching, network admission control and encryption acceleration -- all at multi-Gigabit speeds.

The first implementation of this advanced processor architecture is the MPC8572 PowerQUICC(TM) III family built on Power Architecture(TM) technology. Freescale has designed the MPC8572 family to provide developers of networking and communications equipment with a high-performance, single-chip processor alternative to software-intensive solutions based on costly, inefficient ASICs and FPGAs within multiple systems.

"Freescale's MPC8572 processor platform is designed to proliferate new services, higher levels of network performance, deep packet inspection, application-layer and service-layer awareness, and enhanced security across a broad range of next-generation access products," said Linley Gwennap, principal analyst of The Linley Group. "This multicore technology platform represents the next step in the continuous innovation of the PowerQUICC processor family, building upon Freescale's best-in-class embedded core performance, traffic management and security acceleration."

Target applications for Freescale's advanced communications processing architecture include multi-service routing and switching, firewall/VPN, unified threat management, intrusion detection and prevention, anti-virus, load balancing, content switching and application-aware networking equipment. The next-generation architecture also addresses the computationally demanding processing requirements of wireless infrastructure equipment, such as radio node controllers (RNCs) and WiMAX basestations.

"Today's networking equipment vendors are looking for highly integrated content processing solutions that can help them simplify their system designs and enable intelligent, application-protocol networks," said Lynelle McKay, vice president and general manager of Freescale's Digital Systems Division. "Ultimately, our single-chip PowerQUICC III architecture is designed to help drive the evolution of the network from separate control and data planes to a merged, multi-services-oriented, high-touch processing platform designed to solve complex network challenges, such as security and other types of policy enforcement."

Freescale Semiconductor Inc.