11/21/00 - Broadcom Unveils Internet-On-A-Chip Strategy
Nov 20, 2000 (Tech Web - CMP via COMTEX) -- LAS VEGAS -- Fresh on the heels of a deal with Gateway Inc., Broadcom Corp. has announced its "Internet-on-a-chip" strategy and has rolled out several products with multiple networking functions on a single device.
Broadcom's Internet strategy includes support for broadband networking over home phone lines and conventional Ethernet, as well as facilities for legacy V.90 dial-up modem access.
Broadcom, Irvine, Calif., also announced that its silicon will be used in Gateway's Web Touch Pad.
"The marginal cost of incremental communications functions approaches zero because of Moore's Law," said Jeff Thermond, vice president and general manager of Broadcom's home networking business unit. "A better way to think of Moore's Law is that the amount of room that a given communications space takes up on a piece of silicon shrinks by 50 percent every 18 months. It's our job to think of more interesting things to put on there."
The company is also making a push into wireless networking.
"The good news is, there's no single PHY that wins in the home," Thermond said. "We will be adding wireless features in the coming months as well."
Both Bluetooth and 802.11 will be included next year, he said.
San Diego's Gateway (stock: GTW), which launched its Web Pad with America Online Inc. (stock: AOL) and Transmeta Corp. (stock: TMTA) in New York recently, is the first customer to ship products featuring Broadcom's silicon: Gateway Select and Performance consumer desktop PCs are already shipping.
That puts Broadcom (stock: BRCM) silicon in Gateway's "top two product lines," Thermond said.
The BCM4211 contains a PCI 2.2-compliant interface to both HomePNA 2.0 and V.90 functions, along with its flexible 16-bit Microprocessor Slave Interface for embedded systems, such as Internet appliances. Available now, the chip is priced at $17.35 in lots of 50,000.
The BCM4413 doubles the speed to 32 Mbits/s by taking advantage of the 2.0 spec's higher modulation characteristics. The chip is sampling, priced at $20.60 in 50,000-piece quantities.
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