LNOP,
Just bought some LNOP in my retirement account to hold for a while, on this EZchip news.(IBM is the manufacturer and has equity holding in LNOP):
EZchip Technologies Announces Sampling Date of the World's Most Highly Integrated 10-Gigabit/OC-192 7-Layer Network ProcessorSamples Expected in March after Having Completed NP-1 Tape-out
BUSINESS WIRE - January 07, 2002 09:30
SAN JOSE, Calif., Jan 7, 2002 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- EZchip Technologies (a subsidiary of LanOptics Ltd., NASDAQ:LNOP), a fabless semiconductor company providing 10/40-Gigabit 7-Layer network processors, today announced the completion of the design and subsequent tape-out of its NP-1 single chip network processor. Conclusion of this stage marks a major milestone in the delivery of the world's most highly integrated 10G/OC-192 network processor. The NP-1 is being manufactured by IBM through its SA-27E 0.18-micron ASIC (application specific integrated circuit) technology. First silicon sample chips are expected in March 2002 for testing at EZchip and EZchip's early customers.
"EZchip has achieved its goal of combining powerful network processing elements into a single chip," said Eli Fruchter, president and CEO of EZchip. "The NP-1 integrates on chip elements such as 1G and 10G Ethernet MACs, search engines and content processing capabilities - normally found in separate chip-sets. The NP-1's unsurpassed integration level enables our customers to build higher density line cards at lower power dissipation and lower cost. With the forthcoming launch of the QX-1, our single-chip 10G/OC-192 traffic manager, we will continue to deliver the kind of integration our customers have been demanding."
"With tape-out completed, EZchip is well on its way to delivering one of the first 10GbE/OC-192 network processors to the market," said Linley Gwennap, principal analyst of The Linley Group. "Our analysis indicates that EZchip has the most powerful and most integrated solution among all announced 10Gbps NPUs. Its unique embedded memory enables content-aware processing at 10Gbps. Alone or in combination with the forthcoming QX-1 traffic manager, the NP-1 is well suited to a wide range of high-end networking applications."
"With the upcoming release of NP-1 samples, EZchip provides a head strong start in the race for $2.8 billion by 2005," said Eric Mantion, senior analyst of networking technology for In-Stat. "Between the reduction in network expansion seen in 2001 compared with 2000 and the rapid acceptance of DWDM systems, In-Stat sees a plateau forming emerging around the 10Gbps line rate. With a nexus forming between traditional OC-192 systems and 10GbE rollouts, the ability to handle both forms of traffic will be paramount in the upcoming years. EZchip's protocol-agnostic approach, tied with the upcoming QX-1 traffic manager and compatibility with IBM's PowerPRS switch fabric, makes for a hard-hitting triple-play."
A Unique Architecture
The NP-1 represents a new breed of network processors, based on its patent-pending TOPcore(R) architecture. Unlike first generation network processors that integrate generic RISC processors, EZchip's breakthrough TOPcore(R) architecture consists of 10-fold faster TOPs (Task Optimized Processors), each tailored to perform a specific networking task at the highest possible speed. These fast and efficient processors are then replicated and integrated into a single chip in a super-scalar architecture, designed and optimized for packet processing.
Clear Differentiation
The NP-1 implements EZchip's innovative technology including the patent-pending TOPcore(R) architecture, patent-pending search algorithms and unique use of embedded memory. These technologies present significant advantages to system vendors designing next generation networking equipment:
- Single Chip Solution - delivers wire-speed systems with reduced overall chip count, power dissipation and cost. - Embedded Search Engines - provides highly flexible lookup options in very large tables while requiring no classifiers, CAM or SRAM. - Content Aware Processing - enables Layer 2-4 switching and routing with granular flow classification and layer 5-7 deep packet processing for content switching, TCP off-loading, security and traffic analyzing. About the NP-1
EZchip's NP-1 flagship network processor is a single-chip, full-duplex, 10-Gigabit 7-layer network processor providing fully programmable packet classification, modification, forwarding and policing at wire speed. The NP-1 enables building networking equipment for the Internet core, metro edge and enterprise backbone with unprecedented performance, flexibility and port density. The NP-1 features a choice of OC-192 POS (Packet over SONET), 10G Ethernet or eight 1G Ethernet ports. A switch fabric interface allows scaling NP-1 based systems to thousands of ports. The NP-1's TOPcore(R) technology provides scalability to 40-Gigabit/OC-768, offering NP-1 customers a smooth migration path from 10 to 40-Gigabit platforms.
Complete Development Environment
EZchip offers NP-1 customers with a complete development environment to enable rapid delivery to production of new designs based on the NP-1:
- EZdesign - allows designers to create, verify and implement applications to meet specific functionality and performance targets. EZdesign includes a simulator, compiler, extensive debugging facilities and traffic and database generators. An applications library provides reference code for implementing various applications such as L2 switching, MPLS, IP routing, Network Address Translation, URL-based server load balancing and more. - EZdriver - is a toolset that facilitates the development of the control path software for NP-1 based systems. It enables applications that run on the host CPU to communicate with the NP-1. - Evaluation Boards - are available to expedite development of NP-1 based systems. NP-1 evaluation boards are available with a choice of 1GE, 10GE and OC-192 POS interfaces. About EZchip Technologies
EZchip Technologies (a subsidiary of LanOptics Ltd., NASDAQ: LNOP) is a fabless semiconductor company providing 10/40 Gigabit network processors. EZchip's breakthrough TOPcore(R) technology delivers 7-layer full-packet processing at wire speed. EZchip's single-chip solutions enable highly integrated networking equipment, delivering advanced services and unprecedented port density. For more information on EZchip, visit our web site at ezchip.com. |
