Marvell Announces XFP Interoperability

SUNNYVALE, Calif. -- Marvell(R) (NASDAQ: MRVL), a technology leader in the development of extreme broadband communications and storage solutions, today announced interoperability between the Marvell Alaska(R) X serial 10 Gigabit transceiver ICs and XFP optical modules from Agilent Technologies, Finisar, Intel, and Opnext. The Marvell Alaska family of 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10 GbE) transceivers, in conjunction with the ultra-small form factor, low power XFP module, creates the most advanced 10 Gigabit electro-optical solutions on the market. Based on demonstrated interoperability with Marvell, OEMs can now accelerate design cycles, reduce risk and decrease the cost of development for next-generation 10 GbE and 10 Gigabit Fibre Channel (10 GFC) links.

The XFP Multi Source Agreement (MSA) defines a fiber optic transceiver module for 10 GbE, 10 GFC and SONET/SDH applications. The optical module and the physical layer ICs are typically the highest frequency components in the system and present significant technical challenges to system designers. Seamless interoperability between these high-speed optical and electrical components is paramount for system designs at 10 Gigabits per second and beyond. Agilent, Finisar, Intel and Opnext, along with Marvell, have performed thorough testing to prove robust interoperability between the Marvell Alaska X 10G serial devices and the XFP modules.

"By blending Marvell's silicon leadership with Agilent, Finisar, Intel and Opnext's optical leadership, together, we are delivering the most advanced solutions for next-generation networking systems," stated David Young, Marvell's General Manager for the Connectivity Business Group. "10 Gigabit technology is becoming increasingly important for uplinks as Gigabit Ethernet moves to the desktop."

"As XFP technology is in the early stages of deployment, it is critical to be able to demonstrate interoperability between Agilent's XFP modules and Marvell's SERDES," said Antony Spilman, Strategic Marketing for Agilent's Fiber Optic Products Division. "The excellent performance demonstrated by the combination of Agilent and Marvell devices prove the increasing maturity of XFP for use in 10 Gigabit networking systems."

"Proven interoperability between silicon and XFP optical modules significantly reduces any risk associated with the development of 10 Gigabit systems," stated Christian Urricariet, Director of Product Marketing for High-Speed Optics at Finisar. "This enables OEMs to accelerate their development cycles, decreasing time-to-market while lowering overall systems cost."

"XFPs are the smallest form factor modules, with the lowest power consumption, for space constrained 10 Gigabit Ethernet and Fibre Channel links," commented Kiyo Hiramoto, Opnext's Manager of Product Marketing. "Marvell devices, coupled with XFP modules enable the most compact switch to fibre solution on the market today."

Marvell Technology Group Ltd.