Fujitsu Intros 10-GigE Switch Chip

SUNNYVALE, Calif. -- Fujitsu Microelectronics America, Inc. (FMA) and Fujitsu Laboratories of America, Inc. (FLA) today introduced the industry's first 10Gbps Ethernet switch chip, MB87Q3050, developed for layer 2 functions in high-performance server designs. The new 10Gbps switch chip enables system designers to develop compact and less costly switches, using high-performance, multi-ported memory that handles simultaneous read and write operation to and from all twelve 10Gbps ports, providing a total bandwidth capacity of 240Gbps.

The 10Gbps switch chip incorporates twelve 10Gbps Ethernet ports along with high-speed buffer memories and high-speed I/O macros on a total area of only 256 millimeters square. A XAUI SERDES interface and 10Gbps Ethernet MAC, which complies with IEEE 802.3ae, are also included on the chip. Core clock speed is 312.5 MHZ, and the aggregate bandwidth totals 240Gbps.

The new switch chip is built with a multi-port memory subsystem that satisfies throughput requirements, even with minimum Ethernet packets. The pin-to-pin switching latencies have been reduced from several microseconds to only 450 nanoseconds, a reduction made possible by a shared-memory control program that, combined with a "cut-through" delivery mechanism, forwards packets quickly to appropriate output ports.

"High-end servers and advanced storage systems require throughput switching with short latencies, while providing multicast support and reduced fall-through latency. This 10Gbps switch chip satisfies these requirements," said Keith Horn, vice president of marketing of Fujitsu Microelectronics America. "Giving the 10Gbps switch chip the required performance was a challenging and demanding task. It required a variety of team skills to integrate the very high-performance digital and analog circuits. This chip is a culmination of those efforts."

"The single-chip 10Gbps Ethernet switch is the first of its kind in the industry," said Akira Hattori, vice president of Advanced Interconnect Technology of Fujitsu Laboratories of America. "Existing 10 Gigabit switch ICs, designed for wide area network applications, are very large and expensive, and are characterized by long switching latencies. In contrast, this switch chip meets the requirements of cluster systems and blade-server systems for smaller, more cost-effective switch ICs with very short latencies."

The 10Gbps Ethernet IC is capable of reducing the per-port price to approximately $200, from the much higher cost of $20,000, which is normal for 10Gbps Ethernet switch boxes. Typical chip power consumption is approximately 15W.

Fujitsu Microelectronics America Inc.