The SoC design integrates server-class dynamic power management to maximise power savings during the idle state while maximising performance and responsiveness with the ability to configure thermal dissipated power (TDP) to meet varying system requirements. This technology allows the SoC to achieve an unprecedented level of standby power of less than 300mW. In addition, the integration of network elements and interfaces on to the same chip reduces the power footprint drastically when compared with existing board based multi-chip offerings.
Q. Give us an overview of AppliedMicro’s Connectivity BU, which has a dominant presence in providing integrated Systems-on-a-Chip (SoC) for telecommunications.
A. Whether it is in the Internet, wireless or wireline service all the traffic in the backbone is routed through wired infrastructure. AppliedMicro’s Connectivity BU has been offering silicon-based solutions in this domain for the past 30-plus years. We are the number one player today in terms of the number of Optical Transport Network (OTN) sockets we are designed in. Our mixed-signal, low-power silicon enables telecom carriers to converge voice-based networks into high speed Internet technology. The transition enables the seamless delivery of video, voice and data services as traffic volumes continue to explode.
AppliedMicro’s 10 Gigabit per second framer-mapper-physical layer devices are designed into multi-service switches, routers and dense wavelength division multiplex (DWDM) equipment in long haul, core and metropolitan networks. Our embedded processors are designed into cellular base stations that enable mobile device communications.
Systems equipped with AppliedMicro’s solutions enable Telcos to deploy higher data rate broadband connections, high reliability, low error rates, low latency and high quality of service. We work closely with Telcos to understand the need of the market five years in the future. We realise that the transmission of data is increasing in leaps and bounds and the industry is already talking about technology that will support transmission of 400 GbE.
As a leader in SoCs for telecommunication, AppliedMicro views this as a tremendous opportunity and we are leveraging our global presence such as in India for conceptualisation, design and implementation of SoC solutions for telecommunication.
The 64-bit ARM based ‘server-on-a-chip’ platform, X-Gene, that we announced in 2011, leverages a lot of our experience in the Connectivity BU to provide solutions for the next generation cloud-based data centres that are seeing a metamorphosis in the way computing and connectivity have been provided in the past.
Q. What are the trends in the market impacting the telecom equipment ecosystem in the long-term and network readiness strategy of the telcos and network equipment OEMs?
A. Computing has moved from being solely in the corporate precincts to being present with each and every individual in the form of mobile phones and tablet computers. This growth of personalised computing devices for the individual will act as the key catalyst in driving content consumption. According to a study by Cisco, mobile phones and other smart devices as well as machine-to-machine (M2M) connections are driving up the demand for connectivity.
By 2016, the forecast projects there will be nearly 18.9 billion network connections, almost 2.5 connections for each person on earth, compared with 10.3 billion in 2011. The telecommunication market is going to grow exponentially with consumers shifting from 10 GbE to 100 GbE bandwidth, more or less skipping the 40G deployment.
With this shift to cloud based infrastructure, there are very significant changes afoot in the server as well as connectivity domains. The datacentre is going to see a major restructuring to more efficiently manage the content consuming requirements of billions of these devices. Not only would per-port speeds go up but also the number of ports per switch. Where the typical top-of-the-rack switch serving 8-10 blade servers in the rack accommodates 24 to 48 10G ports today, it is shifting to 64 to 128 ports each handling 100Gb of traffic.
At the same time, where the deployment of 10G took almost a decade, it appears that deployment of 100G would take two to three years, thus indicating the pace of change that is taking place.
