EZchip Technologies announces sampling of NP-2 network processor
July 21, 2005 San Jose, CA -- EZchip Technologies, a fabless semiconductor company providing high-speed network processors, recently announced that it has begun shipping samples of its NP-2 network processor to customers. The company says that concurrent testing of device also continues, in order to verify the functionality of all features and various deployment scenarios expected in 2006.
The company says the NP-2 represents its third-generation family of network processors featuring high integration for 10-Gbit and 2.5-Gbit metro Ethernet applications. All NP-2 models are pin and software compatible and can be interchangeably assembled on the same board to build different product classes, according to the company.
The NP-2 is provided in three models: the NP-2/10, the NP-2/10L for 10-Gbit duplex processing with and without traffic management, and the NP-2/5 for 5-Gigabit duplex processing. According to the company, the NP-2 integrates all major line-card functions on a single chip, including 10- or 5-Gbit full-duplex processing, classification search engines, and traffic managers, as well as ten 1-Gbit and one 10-Gbit Ethernet MACs/ports.
The company says the 5-Gbit model (NP-2/5) is a scaled-down version of its 10-Gbit network processor (NP-2/10), serving to extend the company's reach into lower speed segments of the metro Ethernet market. According to the company, by using the NP-2/5 to power applications that typically employ 2.5-Gbit processors, network equipment vendors can gain performance and cost advantages. The company says the price of NP-2/5 is comparable to 2.5-Gbit network processors, yet the device delivers twice the processing headroom and twice the number of Gigabit Ethernet ports.
"The integration and processing flexibility provided by NP-2 has already garnered us with close to 25 design wins, many with tier-1 networking vendors," comments Eli Fruchter, president and CEO of EZchip. "NP-2 is used for building [the] switch line cards, services cards, and pizza boxes that make [up] the new carrier-class Ethernet networks, and enable triple-play data, voice, and video services."