LAS VEGAS -- Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq: BRCM), a leading provider of highly integrated semiconductor solutions enabling broadband communications, strengthened its position as the leader in the Ethernet semiconductor market today by introducing a broad portfolio of enterprise switch products. These new solutions extend the scalability and multi-layer intelligence of stackable Ethernet switches for maximum network uptime, security and ease-of-management.

Superior multi-layer intelligence enables faster, more efficient and cost-effective migration to next-generation enterprise and metropolitan networks. With the new StrataXGS(R) II switch family, system vendors can easily leverage their current investments in products based on StrataXGS(R) switches to address the convergence of voice, video and data traffic in the enterprise.

Today's enterprise networks require reliable, multi-layer intelligence at wire-speed performance, enhanced security to prevent sophisticated network attacks, and the ability to scale while reducing the total cost of management. The new Broadcom(R) BCM5675 enhanced StrataXGS II fabric enables systems to scale from 96 Gigabits per second (Gbps) to beyond one Terabit per second in bandwidth, providing the availability and redundancy that is essential to enterprise applications. Broadcom's BCM5695, BCM5674, and BCM5665 switch processors add advanced multi-layer intelligence to the already feature-rich StrataXGS Layer 2/3 switch family.

Service provider networks are migrating from circuit-based access to next generation packet-based access that will require highly reliable intelligent switching. The new StrataXGS II switch processors enable these services through advanced quality of service (QoS), granular rate limiting, double VLAN tagging and multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) features. They enable service providers to deliver transparent LAN services based on Ethernet, providing a cost effective replacement technology for legacy leased line networks.

According to IDC, Broadcom is the worldwide leader in Ethernet semiconductor products, with over 50 percent year-over-year revenue growth from 2002 to 2003. IDC's "Worldwide Ethernet Semiconductor 2003 Vendor Analysis" reports that much of that growth was attributed to the success of Broadcom's StrataXGS and StrataSwitch(R) product lines.

"Merchant switch silicon has been widely adopted in fixed and stackable Ethernet switches over the past several years," said Sean Lavey, Semiconductor Program Manager for IDC. "The next big step going forward for this segment will be migrating into higher layer chassis systems that offer larger enterprise-class capabilities and support for more advanced QoS and security features."

"The StrataXGS II product family delivers complete multi-layer, wire-speed switching solutions, from Fast Ethernet to 10 Gigabit Ethernet. Its comprehensive feature set includes Layer 3, QoS and Layer 2-7 packet processing capabilities, making it an ideal switching solution for the converged networks of tomorrow," said Martin Lund, Senior Director of Broadcom's Enterprise Switch Line of Business. "Using the StrataXGS II switch architecture, system vendors will be well positioned to meet the emerging requirements of their enterprise and service provider customers."

Technical Information
Superior scalability and maximum network uptime come from high-availability features such as a multi-stage switch fabric, dynamic insertion and removal of stacking elements, fault-tolerant network protocols and the BCMX API, which enables the management of all stacking elements using a single management structure. The BCM5675 switch fabric, scalable to multi-stage fabric solutions, integrates eight enhanced HiGig(TM) ports that can connect at full wire speed to new switch processors, while being fully backward compatible with the prior generation of BCM5670 fabrics.

To keep intruders at bay and prevent sophisticated virus attacks in the network, the new BCM5695, BCM5665 and BCM5674 switch processors support multi-layer intelligence in the form of integrated security, MAC-based user authentication, and wire-speed access control lists. New Metro Ethernet features extend the security boundary beyond the enterprise into service provider networks with support for double VLAN tagging, VLAN translation and MPLS tunneling. These solutions address additional traffic management requirements of large enterprise networks through support for policy-based rate limiting, end-to-end traffic control, IP multicast capabilities, IPv6 awareness and advanced Layer 2-7 ContentAware(TM) classification and filtering.

The BCM5695 multi-layer switch processor, with 12 Gigabit Ethernet ports, integrated SerDes and one enhanced HiGig uplink, is pin-to-pin compatible with Broadcom's BCM5690, a highly successful multi-layer Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) switch. The BCM5665 is a single-chip, multi-layer switch processor that incorporates four GbE ports, 48 Fast Ethernet (FE) ports, as well as a HiGig uplink. The BCM5674 multi-layer switch processor, with one HiGig and 10 GbE port, extends the StrataXGS II feature set and copper connectivity to standards-based 10 GbE networks.

In addition to the new capabilities offered in the StrataXGS II products, system vendors can significantly reduce time-to-market and improve return-on- investment through a common software base across the entire product line using the field-proven Broadcom Switch Software API. A range of reference designs based upon the new devices is currently available.

Availability and Pricing
The BCM5675, BCM5695 and BCM5665 are sampling to customers today. The BCM5674 will be sampling in the third quarter of 2004. Pricing is available upon request.

Broadcom Corp.