Telecom Equipment Manufacturers Making the Move to Multicore Architectures, New Report Finds

Multicore processors offer better performance and scaleability for networking systems, at lower power and less cost, says Light Reading's Components Insider

PRNewswire
NEW YORK
Feb 12, 2008

NEW YORK, Feb. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Makers of telecom and networking equipment are accelerating their deployment of multicore processors in their product designs, spurred on by significant performance improvements and by the compatibility of multicore processors with industry standards including ATCA, MTCA, and IBM BladeCenter, according to the latest edition of Light Reading's Components Insider (http://www.lightreading.com/commchip), a paid research service of CMP's Light Reading (http://www.lightreading.com/).

Multicore Processors for High-Performance Network Systems, an 18-page report in PDF format, details and evaluates dual-core/quad-core and multicore architectures, identifying their primary applications and the strengths and potential weaknesses of different approaches for equipment developers. It also analyzes component availability, presenting key product and performance data, and profiles eight leading vendors in this growing market.

Vendors covered in this report include Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Applied Micro Circuits Corp. (AMCC), Broadcom, Cavium Networks, Freescale Semiconductor, Intel, PMC-Sierra, Raza Microelectronics, Sun Microsystems, and Tilera.

"Multicore processors are now a key part of many networking and other embedded systems, and they are here to stay," notes Simon Stanley, research analyst for Light Reading's Components Insider and author of the report. "Adding more cores can deliver greater performance per watt than increasing frequency, particularly when the frequency approaches 2GHz and above."

Keeping power below 40-50 watts is important for many networking systems, particularly for standardized platforms such as ATCA, Stanley says. "By writing application code and operating systems to handle multicore processors, designers can build truly scaleable solutions, significantly reducing the cost of developing new systems."

Key findings of Multicore Processors for High-Performance Network Systems include the following:

-- Competition is fierce in the multicore sector, with four major players
     and several other contenders.
  -- Extended lifecycle and industrial temperature range are prime
     requirements for multicore processors.
  -- Power consumption is a key market differentiator, particularly for
     devices with 2GHz+ clock frequencies.

Multicore Processors for High-Performance Network Systems provides critical data and analysis for a range of industry participants, including:

-- Suppliers of multicore processors who need independent analysis of
     expected market demand for their products, as well as deeper insight
     into how their products compare with those of competitors
  -- Telecom and networking equipment vendors looking for quantitative
     assessments of how multicore processors will be deployed in the coming
     months and years
  -- Investors needing a better understanding of the multicore-processor
     sector, and which suppliers are best positioned in this market

Multicore Processors for High-Performance Network Systems is available as part of an annual subscription to Light Reading's Components Insider, priced at $1,295. Individual reports are available for $900.

To subscribe, or for more information, please visit: http://www.lightreading.com/commchip. For more information about other Light Reading Insider services, please visit: http://www.lightreading.com/research.

To request a free executive summary of the report, or for details on multi-user licensing options, please contact:

Jeff Claudino
   Director of Sales
   Insider Research Services
   619-229-9940
   claudino@lightreading.com

   Press/analyst contact:

   Dennis Mendyk
   Managing Director
   Insider Research Services
   201-587-2154
   mendyk@heavyreading.com

  About Light Reading

Founded in 2000, Light Reading (http://www.lightreading.com/) is the ultimate source for technology and financial analysis of the communications industry, leading the media sector in terms of traffic, content, and reputation. It reaches an extensive audience of executives and technologists within the telecom and enterprise networking communities, as well as the financial/industry analysts and investors who track these sectors. Light Reading was acquired by United Business Media in August 2005, and operates as a unit of CMP.

About CMP

CMP (http://www.cmp.com/) is a media and marketing solutions company serving the technology industry. With the leading online, event, and print brands in all technology market categories, and with services and tools that reach beyond traditional advertising, CMP shapes and influences the technology industry worldwide. CMP publishes highly respected media brands such as TechWeb, InformationWeek, ChannelWeb, CRN, EE Times, and TechOnline; produces major industry events such as Interop, Web 2.0 Expo, XChange, Game Developer Conference, and the Embedded Systems Conferences; and provides business information and marketing services such as the International Customer Management Institute, Semiconductor Insights, and Second Life consulting for technology marketers. CMP is a subsidiary of United Business Media (http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com/), a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $3 billion. For more CMP news, go to cmp.com/news.

SOURCE: Light Reading Insider

CONTACT: Jeff Claudino, Director of Sales, Insider Research Services,
+1-619-229-9940, claudino@lightreading.com, or Dennis Mendyk, Managing
Director, Insider Research Services, +1-201-587-2154, mendyk@heavyreading.com

Web site: http://www.lightreading.com/
http://www.lightreading.com/commchip
http://www.lightreading.com/research
http://www.cmp.com/
http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com/