Broadcom Extends Leadership with New StrataXGS Trident II Switch Series Optimized for Cloud-Scale Data Center Networks

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- 

News Highlights:

• World's first single chip to deliver more than 100 10GbE ports 
• 2X  greater forwarding density enables massive network infrastructure scaling
• Scales to support tens of thousands of server and virtual machine endpoints in multi-tenant environments
• Integrated SmartSwitch technologies deliver unprecedented innovation for cloud-scale networking

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120827/SF62960)

Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ: BRCM), a global innovation leader in semiconductor solutions for wired and wireless communications, today introduced the StrataXGS® Trident II Series, a new line of Ethernet switching solutions optimized to meet the bandwidth, scalability and efficiency demands of cloud networking environments and mega data centers. Visit www.broadcom.com to learn more.

Based on Broadcom's award winning StrataXGS architecture, the new 10/40 GbE series is the first to deliver more than 100 10GbE ports, a 4X increase in network virtualization scale and a 2X increase in forwarding and classification tables, enabling a significant return on investment on private and multi-tenant public cloud computing infrastructure connectivity.

Public and private cloud, Web 2.0 and other high-bandwidth data center applications are driving the need for higher scale and efficiency in the data center. Broadcom's StrataXGS Trident II Series delivers the most complete network switching feature set at the highest bandwidth and port density in the industry, enabling cost-effective and high performance data center build-out to an unprecedented number of server and storage endpoints, applications and users.  

Fast, Fat and Flat Networks with New SmartSwitch Technologies

The StrataXGS Trident II Series features new SmartSwitch technologies designed to break through traditional silicon and system-imposed performance barriers in cloud-scale networking. Increased performance needs for server-to-server and server-to-storage communication are driving the need for fast, fat and flat networks. Dynamic workload placement and the need for granular traffic visibility, load balancing and diagnostics are similarly driving more flexible software defined networks (SDN). The new SmartSwitch technologies include:

• Smart-NV: Delivers up to 4X greater scale, enabling SDN virtualization across both virtual and physical workloads at wire-speed. Enables cloud-scale network infrastructure virtualization using advanced Layer 2 over Layer 3 (L2oL3) network virtualization technologies such as NVGRE and VXLAN.
• Smart-Buffer: Delivers up to 5X higher packet buffer utilization and burst absorption performance using innovative traffic load-based intelligent and dynamic allocation schemes.
• Smart-Table: Delivers highest Layer 2 and Layer 3 forwarding scale with network topology-based profiling for maximum deployment flexibility.
• Smart-Hash: Eliminates polarization and load imbalances in fat-tree networks possessing heavy and diverse traffic patterns. Provides unprecedented network traffic visibility and diagnostics required by software defined networking. 

 Market Drivers

• Annual global data center IP traffic will reach 4.8 zettabytes by 2015¹
• Overall cloud IP traffic will grow at a CAGR of 66 percent from 2012 - 2015¹
  • Predicted to account for more than one-third (34 percent) of total data center traffic¹
• Public cloud workloads expected to grow at a 50 percent CAGR from 2012 - 2015²
• 40 percent of servers are virtualized today and are projected to reach 75 percent by 2015³
• Data center 10GE ports projected to grow at a 40 percent CAGR from 2012 -  2016⁴
  • 40GE ports projected to grow at a 130 percent CAGR of from 2012 - 2016⁴

StrataXGS Trident II Key Features

• Enables unprecedented 10/40GbE single chip switch configurations
• 100+ 10GbE ports with flexibility to support up to 32 40GbE ports
• First integrated switch delivers NVGRE and VXLAN L2oL3 transit and gateway switch technologies
• Supports industry's highest equal cost multipathing-based fat-tree networking scale on a single chip
• Greater FCoE network scale enabling true LAN/SAN convergence – up to 4X increase in forwarding entries
• High port density with direct attach to SFP+/QSFP modules and KR Backplanes
• Integrated IEEE 1588 1-step timing solution
  • Delivers 40 percent reduction in bill of material costs and 30 percent better phase accuracy

Availability

The StrataXGS Trident II Series includes multiple device options and is sampling this quarter. See Broadcom's full line of solutions for cloud-scale networking this week at VMworld® 2012, Moscone Center, San Francisco (booth #2107).

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Ram Velaga, Vice President & General Manager, Core Switch, Broadcom
"Our StrataXGS switch solutions are renowned throughout the industry for driving unsurpassed performance levels and cost metrics in data center, service provider and enterprise network environments. Our latest StrataXGS Trident II Series – a follow-on to the highly successful Trident series of single chip switch solutions – delivers unprecedented innovation with new features optimized to meet the performance, scalability and efficiency demands of both the traditional enterprise and emerging mega data centers, enabling a new era in cloud-scale and software defined networking."

Industry Quotes:

Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs)

Christophe Metivier, Vice President, Manufacturing and Platform Engineering, Arista Networks
"Arista has long partnered with Broadcom to deliver market leading switch products designed for scale, flexibility and ease of management that today's cloud networks require.  With the introduction of Broadcom's newest StrataXGS Trident II, we are excited about the integration of key features needed by today's software defined cloud networking, flexible load balancing, large table scale and higher switching capacities."

Liam Kiely, Vice President of R&D, Avaya Networking
"Unprecedented demand for online content coupled with ever increasing cluster computing demands in the cloud has driven data centers to increasing scale, flexibility and levels of virtualization.  Avaya plans to power these next generation data centers with leading Avaya Ethernet switches utilizing Broadcom's new StrataXGS Trident II family."

Arpit Joshipura, Vice President, Dell
"Broadcom continues to set the bar for state-of-the-art Ethernet switching technology with impressive 10GE scale with critical new features for the virtualized data center. Dell plans to be one of the first to offer customers the StrataXGS Trident II series that will enable next-generation Dell networking products designed for large-scale cloud and enterprise data centers."

Nadeem Zahid, Director of Product Management, Extreme Networks
"We are seeing significant demand from next generation data centers that benefit from Extreme Networks' switches capable of virtualized, multi-tenant and flexible network architectures.  Broadcom technology has successfully powered Extreme's leading Ethernet switch portfolio to meet or exceed the stringent requirements and the new StrataXGS Trident II promises to again deliver."

Henry Cao (Cao Xiangying), Chief Operation Officer, Hangzhou H3C Technologies Co., Ltd.
"Broadcom's Trident family of chips provides a superior comprehensive solution for H3C data center switches, and supports H3C's "Move to the Cloud" data center network strategy. We look forward to continuing our strategic collaboration in campus LAN and data center innovation to provide our customers with the advanced technology they need to deliver a faster and more reliable network experience."

Koichiro Seto, General Manager, Core Technology Development, Information System Product Division, Hitachi Cable
"Broadcom continues to lead with impressive single-chip Ethernet switch silicon with ever increasing bandwidth with key features like VXLAN, Ethernet Fabric, Smart-NV and Smart-Hash technology to address the ever increasing needs of virtualized cloud scale networking. Hitachi Cable is excited to continue the close partnership with Broadcom's newest StrataXGS Trident II series of products to deliver market leading switch platforms for service provider, enterprise and data center markets."

End Users and Software Platform Vendors

Kitty Pang (Junying Pang), Chief Datacenter Architect, Alibaba Group
"High density 10 and 40GbE switches with leading network virtualization, table scale, network visibility and congestion management features enable cloud operators to deliver next generation cloud services. The significantly high level of silicon integration and comprehensive data center feature set available in Broadcom's StrataXGS data center switch portfolio is being further enhanced by the StrataXGS Trident II switch series, enabling high price-performance values demanded by cloud scale networking."

Mansour Karam, Vice President, Business Development and Strategic Alliance, Big Switch Networks
"As data centers grow at an unprecedented pace, customers are looking for solutions that enable choice and interoperability in their data centers. Big Switch Networks is pleased to collaborate with Broadcom on the StrataXGS Trident II series especially designed for data center network switch equipment. Interoperability and co-existence with virtual and physical switches is core to both companies' strategy around open network virtualization solutions."

Ross Ortega, Principal Program Manager, Windows Networking, Microsoft Corporation
"Windows Server 2012 Hyper-V Network Virtualization with NVGRE provides scalable multi-tenancy and provides new capabilities such as seamless workload mobility in multi-tenant and mega-datacenter environments. Connecting physical and virtualized workloads and legacy servers to new network virtualized services is equally important; the StrataXGS Trident II switch series implements NVGRE gateway capabilities to facilitate such connectivity, delivering cloud scale network virtualization."  

Allwyn Sequeira, CTO & Vice President, Cloud Networking & Security, VMware
"Software-defined networking will provide organizations with greater flexibility and higher resource utilization in private, hybrid and public cloud deployments. Broadcom's SmartSwitch technology innovations and support for VXLAN in their StrataXGS Trident II switch series complements VMware's vision of software defined network virtualization."  

Original Design Manufacturers (ODMs)

Samuel Chang, President, Accton
"Accton has partnered with Broadcom to develop a diverse, low cost, SDN capable switch portfolio optimized for virtualized private and public clouds.  With the release of the StrataXGS Trident II series, Accton will introduce the industry's first modular, 1RU switch capable of delivering up to 32 ports of 40GbE in a unique design that supports network processor modules and future higher speed interfaces to meet evolving data center requirements."

Harrison Chang, President, Alpha Networks, Inc.
"Alpha Networks has worked closely with Broadcom for the last 10+ years to proudly present a very comprehensive Ethernet switch portfolio that has achieved breakthroughs in the global market. Together with Broadcom, Alpha Networks will continue to pioneer Ethernet switch market trends providing a broad range of solutions and integration services and leading the world towards excellent networking."

Victor Cheng, CEO, Delta Networks Inc.
"DNI is committed to provide world class Ethernet switch products with a focus on quality, superior features, power efficiency and competitive cost.  Broadcom's latest StrataXGS Trident II switch series is the perfect switch silicon that exceeds our stringent requirements and we're excited to provide the first high density 96-Port 10G ToR Switch with Broadcom to offer best-in-class solutions to drive next generation cloud scale networks." 

Industry Analysts

Seamus Crehan, President, Crehan Research
"Developments such as virtualization, cloud computing, and network consolidation have all contributed to unprecedented demands on datacenter switches. This is evidenced by the recent stellar growth in 10GbE and 40GbE datacenter switches where Broadcom's existing Trident series has been a major driver.  Now with the enablement of even greater port densities at higher speeds, in addition to important and exciting new datacenter features, system vendors, OEMs and cloud providers will be able to address ever-increasing datacenter network demands."

Sam Barnett, Directing Analyst, Data Center & Cloud, Infonetics Research
"Service providers, telcos and Internet content providers around the world have embraced the cloud concept in earnest and are heavily investing in new infrastructure, building on their existing networks to add a range of cloud-based services. Network virtualization and switch forwarding features that can scale to support a large number of servers and users are among the top requirements. Broadcom's latest innovation for cloud-scale networks should further strengthen the company's position as a leading supplier in this space."

Jag Bolaria, Senior Analyst, Linley Group
"Higher data rates, energy efficient design and cost pressures are paramount considerations for IT professionals as they scale the network to support the massive number of connected devices and bandwidth hungry applications in the cloud. Broadcom is undisputedly one of the overall leading suppliers of Ethernet switches and continues to deliver technology optimized for next generation networks."

Resources:
Cloud-Scale Networking Feature Page
¹ Cisco, Cloud Index, 2010 – 2015
² Morgan Stanley, Cloud Computing Takes Off, 2012
³ Gartner, Network World "Virtual Desktops are All the Rage", December 2011
⁴ Dell'Oro, Ethernet Switch Forecast, May 2012

About Broadcom

Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ: BRCM), a FORTUNE 500® company, is a global leader and innovator in semiconductor solutions for wired and wireless communications. Broadcom® products seamlessly deliver voice, video, data and multimedia connectivity in the home, office and mobile environments. With the industry's broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art system-on-a-chip and embedded software solutions, Broadcom is changing the world by Connecting everything®. For more information, go to www.broadcom.com.

Broadcom®, the pulse logo, Connecting everything®, the Connecting everything logo and StrataXGS® are among the trademarks of Broadcom Corporation and/or its affiliates in the United States, certain other countries and/or the EU.  Any other trademarks or trade names mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

VMware and VMware vSphere are registered trademarks and/or trademarks of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies. The use of the word " partner" or "partnership" does not imply a legal partnership relationship between VMware and any other company.

SOURCE Broadcom Corporation; BRCM Infrastructure & Networking