NTT Electronics, Broadcom pair for coherent DSP

NTT Electronics (NEL), whose current generation of 100G coherent digital signal processors (DSP) has been widely adopted by optical transponder vendors, will collaborate with Broadcom Corp. (NASDAQ: BRCM) to develop a new, lower power coherent DSP.

In addition to the reduction in power, the upcoming device will add such features as an integrated digital-to-analog converter (DAC/Tx) and support for multiple modes of operation, the companies say.

NEL and Broadcom will base the DSP on what they called “an advanced CMOS process technology” that will result in a 50% reduction in power consumption. The ability to use flexible modes of operation will see sub-20-W power consumption for long-haul applications, while further reducing power consumption for metro applications. The companies expect this performance will make the DSP suitable for next-generation 100G coherent transmission modules, including those in the CFP form factor.

“We are excited to go a step further and partner with Broadcom to better serve our customers for maximizing the number of 100G ports per system.” said Haruhiko Ichino, NEL vice president and general manager of Electronics Device & Systems. “We expect this collaboration will initiate a more extensive partnership between Broadcom and NEL.”

“This new, low-power DSP will enable higher-density 100G metro and long-haul networks,” said Lorenzo Longo, Broadcom vice president and general manager of Physical Layer Products (PLP). “The combination of industry-leading DSP technology and Broadcom’s advanced CMOS process technology and breadth of communications building blocks, including SerDes, analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters, provides a compelling solution. We look forward to collaborating with NEL on enabling economies of scale for mass deployment of 100G in metro and long-haul networks.”

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