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IRVINE, Calif., Jan 24, 2005 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq: BRCM), a leading provider of highly integrated semiconductor solutions enabling broadband communications, today announced its new StrataXGS® III switch architecture featuring the world's fastest, highest performing family of fully integrated Ethernet switch chips. Evolving from four prior generations of Broadcom® Ethernet switch technology, the new StrataXGS III switches are the first to incorporate ubiquitous security, wire-speed IPv6 routing and wireless LAN support. The new StrataXGS III switch architecture features an advanced multi-layer 72 Gigabit per second (Gbps) full-duplex packet processing architecture. These next-generation capabilities are only available in StrataXGS III switches.
Information Technology (IT) professionals are often required to minimize capital expenditures and reduce operating costs of network infrastructures. To achieve these objectives, IT professionals need to simplify the management of desktop PCs, VoIP phones, wireless LAN access points and security appliances. The deployment of new applications, as well as the convergence of voice, video and data, has intensified the need for reliable, secure, high performance networks. Ethernet switching is the most pervasive solution to achieve this convergence due to its wide use and cost-effectiveness. The StrataXGS III Ethernet switch chips further accelerate this convergence through their superior performance and enhanced security features, delivering the reliability demanded by enterprise and carrier environments.
Announced today is the first StrataXGS III product family, the 500 Series. Designed for feature-rich, high performance Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) and 10GbE switch applications, the 500 Series includes five new chips, the BCM56500, BCM56501, BCM56502, BCM56503 and BCM56504, each targeting different port and functionality requirements. The flagship product, the BCM56504, is the only switch in the industry to incorporate 24 GbE ports and four 10GbE ports in a single-chip device. This specific configuration is required by network integrators to support concurrent stacking and redundant 10GbE uplinks. Each GbE port can operate at 10/100/1000 Megabits per second (Mbps) while each 10GbE port can operate in either 10GbE mode or stacking mode. Additionally, the BCM56504 is based on a 72 Gbps packet processor that is capable of processing over 100 million packets per second, which is unrivaled for integrated multi-layer switches.
"With StrataXGS III, we are delivering an exciting new generation of switching silicon that enables reliable and secure communication of voice, video and data traffic on a single high-performance network," said Martin Lund, Vice President and General Manager of Broadcom's Enterprise Switch Line of Business. "Building on the success formula of the previous generations of StrataSwitch® and StrataXGS, StrataXGS III features an impressive collection of unique technologies that will power the world's most advanced enterprise and carrier networks over the next several years."
Focus on Robust Security, Resiliency and Converged Unified Networking
With the increasing rate of targeted attacks on public and corporate networks, Broadcom has responded to the need for resilient secure networking by integrating a wealth of unique security-based intelligence into all StrataXGS III products. Broadcom's exclusive wire-speed Layer 2 to Layer 7 application-aware security technology is designed to enforce secure policies based on a flexible variety of programmable rules. Also featured is integrated Denial of Service attack prevention technology that provides continuity of service to users in case of an attack. To complete the security features within all StrataXGS III products, advanced cryptographic technology is integrated that meets the stringent requirements defined by the U.S. Government's FIPS 140-2 standard.
Building upon next-generation security features, the StrataXGS III architecture enables seamless integration of a unified wireless and wired infrastructure. In the past, WLAN adoption has been limited due to the cost and complexity of deploying expensive appliances and managing a separate WLAN network. The StrataXGS III architecture solves these problems by integrating secure WLAN services and fast roaming technology, eliminating the need for costly appliances. As a result, IT professionals can now deploy cost-effective and easy to manage WLAN services, such as new VoIP wireless phones, on a single unified network.
As the Internet continues to experience incredible growth, it is expected that there will be a shortage of IPv4 addresses in the future, prompting a new protocol solution called IPv6 that provides virtually unlimited address space. In support of this trend, the StrataXGS III architecture is ahead of this transition by fully integrating both IPv4 and IPv6 routing capabilities. This cost-effective implementation will enable the easy migration to IPv6 in corporate and service provider networks. In addition, intelligent IP multicast technology is also featured within StrataXGS III switches, enabling service providers to offer new triple play capabilities (voice, video and data) and video broadcasting services.
To reduce system development costs and accelerate time to market, Broadcom provides a comprehensive application programming interface (API) that maintains software compatibility with previous generations of Broadcom switches. In addition to providing a common API, Broadcom provides reference designs for the StrataXGS III product series including software, schematics, layout files and related documentation.
StrataXGS III Summary
The StrataXGS III family of switch chips is ideal for standalone, stackable and chassis switch configurations supporting enterprise, service provider and grid computing markets. In addition, these devices are well-suited for use in embedded applications such as blade servers, IP DSLAM (Internet protocol digital subscriber line access multiplexers), PON (passive optical networking), and AdvancedTCA® (Advanced telecom computing architecture), providing reliable local, backplane and inter-shelf switching.
Pricing and Availability
The 500 Series of StrataXGS III Ethernet switches (BCM56500, BCM56501, BCM56502, BCM56503 and BCM56504) are currently sampling to Broadcom's early access customers. Pricing is available upon request.
About Broadcom
Broadcom Corporation is a leading provider of highly integrated semiconductor solutions that enable broadband communications and networking of voice, video and data services. We design, develop and supply complete system-on-a-chip (SoC) solutions incorporating digital, analog, radio frequency (RF), microprocessor and digital signal processing (DSP) technologies, as well as related hardware and software system-level applications. Our diverse product portfolio addresses every major broadband communications market, and includes solutions for digital cable and satellite set-top boxes; high definition television (HDTV); cable and digital subscriber line (DSL) modems and residential gateways; high-speed transmission and switching for local, metropolitan, wide area and storage networking; home and wireless networking; cellular and terrestrial wireless communications; Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) gateway and telephony systems; broadband network and security processors; and SystemI/O™ server solutions. These technologies and products support our core mission: Connecting everything®.
Broadcom is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., and may be contacted at 1-949-450-8700 or at www.broadcom.com.
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995:
All statements included or incorporated by reference in this release, other than statements or characterizations of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations, estimates and projections about our industry, management's beliefs, and certain assumptions made by us, all of which are subject to change. Forward-looking statements can often be identified by words such as "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "predicts," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "may," "will," "should," "would," "could," "potential," "continue," "ongoing," similar expressions, and variations or negatives of these words. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause our actual results to differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statement.
Important factors that may cause such a difference for Broadcom in connection with the StrataXGS III Ethernet switch products include, but are not limited to, general economic and political conditions and specific conditions in the markets we address, including the volatility in the technology sector and semiconductor industry, trends in the broadband communications markets in various geographic regions, and possible disruption in commercial activities related to terrorist activity or armed conflict in the United States and other locations; the rate at which our present and future customers and end-users adopt Broadcom's technologies and products in the markets for enterprise networking applications; delays in the adoption and acceptance of industry standards in those markets; the timing, rescheduling or cancellation of significant customer orders and our ability, as well as the ability of our customers, to manage inventory; our ability to retain, recruit and hire key executives, technical personnel and other employees in the positions and numbers, with the experience and capabilities, and at the compensation levels needed to implement our business and product plans; our ability to specify, develop or acquire, complete, introduce, market and transition to volume production new products and technologies in a cost- effective and timely manner; the gain or loss of a key customer, design win or order; competitive pressures and other factors such as the qualification, availability and pricing of competing products and technologies and the resulting effects on sales and pricing of our products; our ability to scale our operations in response to changes in demand for our products and services; the timing of customer-industry qualification and certification of our products and the risks of non-qualification or non-certification; our ability to timely and accurately predict market requirements and evolving industry standards and to identify opportunities in new markets; changes in our product or customer mix; the volume of our product sales and pricing concessions on volume sales; intellectual property disputes and customer indemnification claims and other types of litigation risk; the availability and pricing of third party semiconductor foundry and assembly capacity and raw materials; fluctuations in the manufacturing yields of our third party semiconductor foundries and other problems or delays in the fabrication, assembly, testing or delivery of our products; the risks of producing products with new suppliers and at new fabrication and assembly facilities; the effects of new and emerging technologies; problems or delays that we may face in shifting our products to smaller geometry process technologies and in achieving higher levels of design integration; the quality of our products and any remediation costs; the effectiveness of our expense and product cost control and reduction efforts; the risks and uncertainties associated with our international operations, particularly in light of recent events; the effects of natural disasters, public health emergencies, international conflicts and other events beyond our control; the level of orders received that can be shipped in a fiscal quarter; and other factors.
Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, recent Current Reports on Form 8-K, and other Securities and Exchange Commission filings discuss the foregoing risks as well as other important risk factors that could contribute to such differences or otherwise affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. The forward-looking statements in this release speak only as of this date. We undertake no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statement for any reason.
Broadcom®, the pulse logo, Connecting everything®, the Connecting everything logo, StrataSwitch®, StrataXGS®, and SystemI/O™ are trademarks of Broadcom Corporation and/or its affiliates in the United States, EU and/or certain other countries. AdvancedTCA® is a trademark of the PCI Industrial Computers Manufacturers Group. Any other trademarks or trade names mentioned are the property of their respective owners.
Broadcom Trade Press Contact
Scott Harlin
Public Relations Manager
949-926-5226
sharlin@broadcom.com
Broadcom Investor Relations Contact
T. Peter Andrew
Sr. Director, Investor Relations
949-926-5663
andrewtp@broadcom.com
Broadcom Technical Contact
Eric Hayes
Director of Product Marketing,
Enterprise Switches
408-922-8222
erich@broadcom.com
SOURCE Broadcom Corporation
Trade Press, Scott Harlin, Public Relations Manager, +1-949-926-5226, sharlin@broadcom.com, or Investor Relations, T. Peter Andrew Sr. Director, Investor Relations, +1-949-926-5663, andrewtp@broadcom.com, or Technical, Eric Hayes, Directo of Product Marketing, Enterprise Switches, +1-408-922-8222, erich@broadcom.com, all of Broadcom Corporation
