Camarillo, Calif. -- Vitesse Semiconductor Corporation (NASDAQ:VTSS) today unveiled its comprehensive network processor and software roadmap, including two new processor programs for high service OC-48 and 10Gb/s applications, as well as three new models of its highly successful IQ2000 NPU - all supported by an extensive array of next generation software applications and development tools. The Vitesse network processor family compliments the company's extensive portfolio of intelligent switching fabrics, traffic management engines, physical layer devices, and optical components. Vitesse's solutions provide Networking OEMs the industry's most robust line of systems oriented products for creating high performance communication devices, such as core routers/switches, edge aggregation routers, session/service management systems, multi-service provisioning platforms, wireless base stations, and broadband access concentrators. IQ2000 Network Processor Penetrates Key Markets
As Vitesse's flagship network processor, the IQ2000TM enjoys strong success in network-edge applications where high levels of service are required. With over 50 design wins across Tier 1 through startup networking OEMs, the IQ2000 forms the foundation of Vitesse's NPU portfolio. New to the IQ2000 family is a line of devices that offer increased instruction store for intensive high-service applications. The new 64 Kbyte memory option announced today extends the existing IQ2000 family giving customers more choices to suit changing application requirements. Supported by a suite of comprehensive development tools, the Vitesse network processor line maintains forward software compatibility to leverage customers' data-path processing investment. New and existing IQ2000 models are shipping in volume today with prices starting at $215. 2nd Generation High Service NPU -- The IQ2200 Family
Leveraging the architecture of the IQ2000, the company also announced plans for its second generation NPU that delivers twice the instructions per packet processing capability at a given line rate as does the IQ2000 while reducing power consumption by half. The IQ2200 extends the success of the IQ2000 family and maintains functional pin compatibility to leverage existing OEM system designs. By maintaining software forward-compatibility, the IQ2200 will enable OEMs to quickly introduce new generations of high-performance, complex-service products The IQ2200 is a single chip device capable of performing complex upper layer services like HTTP load balancing, content delivery networking, IP SEC VPNs, and DiffServ while maintaining line rate at 2Gb/s/s. The IQ2200 family also adds an industry-standard CSIX interface for seamless connectivity to switch fabrics, notably the widely adopted Vitesse GigaStreamTM intelligent switch fabric family. "The IQ2000 Hardware and Software platform has proven to be successful in high service edge applications," stated Steve Flannery, General Manager of the Vitesse Network Processor Division. "Our customers have embraced the IQ2000 technology and we are very pleased that our roadmap continues to address their needs as demands for performance and service requirements grow." The IQ2200 will be sampling early next year with pricing and general availability announced this Fall. Roadmap for High Service 10Gb/s NPUs -- The IQ10G Family
Recognizing that 10Gb/s performance is a mandatory requirement in many next generation metro, core, and data-center applications; the company announced that its roadmap also includes a network processor capable of meeting the complex service demands that OEMs must address in their next generation high performance platforms. In mid-2002, Vitesse will introduce its single-chip, software-programmable, 10-Gigabit network processor family, the IQ10GTM. The foundation of the Vitesse solution is a highly parallel, multi-processor architecture optimized for complex network service delivery. The NPU is targeted at applications requiring 10 GbE or OC-192 performance as well as those requiring high density Gigabit Ethernet or multiple OC-48 configurations. The programming model employed by the IQ10G family is exactly the same as with the IQ2000/2200 in that it makes the underlying parallel architecture transparent to the programmer while simultaneously providing high processor utilization via its load balanced structure. By utilizing industry standard interfaces such as SPI and CSIX, the IQ10G will reduce customer board cost and design complexity. The IQ10G family will enable network equipment vendors to develop complex IP Platforms that are not only field-upgradeable and future proof, but also delivered at a price-point required by next generation applications. Next Generation Software and Tools Announced
Vitesse supports the IQ2000, IQ2200, and IQ10G families with a robust software development environment based on the GNU open-source tool chain. In addition to firmware engineering tools, the Vitesse Developers Workbench includes an extensible, cycle-accurate simulation framework, a graphical debugger, resource auditor, traffic generator, and a combined hardware and software example of a 2GbE x 16 10/100 routing switch. Development efforts are accelerated through a comprehensive set of API's, low-level MACRO functions/library routines, and example fast-path software for common networking tasks. The Vitesse C/C++ Compiler for the IQ family will be available in the fall of 2001. Vitesse Semiconductor Corp.