Multicore processors present an exciting new opportunity for network system developers and provide an attractive alternative to the mix of network processors, FPGAs, and control-plane processors used in many network system designs. These devices provide significantly greater flexibility, with packet processing, control functions, and operating system all running on the same device. This flexibility is particularly important for standardized platforms such as Advanced Telecom Computing Architecture (ATCA), MicroTCA, and IBM BladeCenter, where a single blade may be used in diverse applications.
At least two suppliers have introduced a new class of processor for networking applications by integrating multiple RISC cores that can be used for either control-plane or data-plane functions, with hardware acceleration for packet processing and security. The on-chip resources can be allocated to one or more functions at development time or dynamically, giving designers greater flexibility.
Over the past five years, there has been a significant shift in the development of mainstream processors, with the emphasis moving away from increasing frequency and toward increasing the number of cores. Intel and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) are taking full advantage of this change by bringing dual and quad-core versions of the Xeon and Opteron processors into the embedded communications markets. For these applications, extended lifecycle, industrial temperature range, and power consumption below 40-50W are all-important requirements.
The communications market for multicore processors is proving very competitive, with MIPS-based vendors seeing challenges from Sun Microsystems and processor powerhouses AMD and Intel. This report 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.
Multicore Processors for High-Performance Network Systems provides critical data and analysis for a range of industry participants, including:
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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 |
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Telecom and networking equipment vendors looking for quantitative assessments of how multicore processors will be deployed in the coming months and years |
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Investors needing a better understanding of the multicore processor sector, and which suppliers are best positioned in this market |
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| Sample research data from the report is shown in the excerpts below: |
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 Table of Contents (cci0208toc.pdf) |
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| Four suppliers now offer multicore devices that are designed to support at least eight cores on a single device. Unlike network processors, multicore devices can support a full operating system on each core. Cores can be arbitrarily allocated to any mix of packet, security, and control processing. The following table compares supplier offerings by a range of features. |
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| [click on the image above for the full excerpt] |
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Vendors covered in this report include: Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NYSE: AMD); Applied Micro Circuits Corp. (Nasdaq: AMCC); Broadcom Corp. (Nasdaq: BRCM); Cavium Networks Inc.; Freescale Semiconductor Inc.; Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC); PMC-Sierra Inc. (Nasdaq: PMCS); Raza Microelectronics Inc.; Sun Microsystems Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW); and Tilera Corp.
