EZchip Intros Low-Cost Processors

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- EZchip Technologies (a subsidiary of LanOptics Ltd., NASDAQ:LNOP), a fabless semiconductor company providing high-speed network processors, is disclosing details of two new low-cost members to its previously-announced NP-2 family of network processors. The NP-2/5 is a duplex 5-Gigabit network processor with two integrated traffic managers to be used in 5-Gigabit applications. The NP-2/10L is a duplex 10-Gigabit network processor aimed at 10-Gigabit applications using optional external traffic managers. Both NP-2 devices integrate a full-duplex network processor, classification engines, ten 1-Gigabit and one 10-Gigabit Ethernet MACs and two SPI4.2 interfaces with up to 192 channels. The NP-2/5 also features two integrated traffic managers for ingress and egress priority queuing and bandwidth guarantees.

Both these models provide the lowest system cost and power for high-density Metro Ethernet and Ethernet over SONET/SDH applications and are offered in addition to the previously announced duplex 10-Gigabit NP-2 with two integrated traffic managers. Sampling for all the announced NP-2 devices is slated for the fourth quarter of 2004, using TSMC 0.13 micron process. The NP-2/5 and NP-2/10L are priced at $445.

The NP-2 family is based on the proven architecture of the popular NP-1c, using the same simple programming model, and is software compatible to the NP-1c. All NP-2 models are software and pin compatible to enable customers to build their line cards once and offer them at different configurations and price points using the different NP-2 models.

"EZchip already offers the leading 10 Gbps network processors, but not everyone needs 10 Gbps today," noted Linley Gwennap, principal analyst of The Linley Group. "The new NP-2 devices enable EZchip to pursue more price-sensitive OC-48 and multiple-GigE applications, thus increasing the company's total available market significantly."

"The additional NP-2 models are provided in response to our large customers' demand to use our technology in more applications within their own product portfolio," said Eli Fruchter, President and CEO of EZchip. "We will continue to add new members to the NP-2 family to address more applications and increase our total available market including a 20-Gigabit, single-chip, full-duplex device that will further increase the level of integration and reduce system chip count, power and cost."

EZchip Technologies