Broadcom rolls 40G PHY chips

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Broadcom announced availability of an optical transceiver capable of handling optical transmissions at 40 Gbit/second. The company claims the CMOS chips can support long-haul transmissions while consuming about 2.3 W, about 50 percent less than its previous parts.

The two chip set integrates two 23 Gbit/s multiplexers/de-multiplexers using DQPSK modulation. The chips use an SFI 5.1 interface and support automatic or manual alignment of I and Q channels.

PMC-Sierra sells a 40G transciever integrated on a single chip that fits inside a 300-pin module. It sports a greater range of features and supports four as opposed to two channels in the Broadcom part, however it dissipates about 16W, said Jag Bolaria, a senior analyst with market watcher The Linley Group (Mountain View, Calif.).

The Broadcom chip set is "the first in a new generation of high speed PHYs for 40G/100G applications in our product pipeline," said Lorenzo Longo, general manager of Broadcom's high speed interconnect group. "Optical transport network suppliers face increasing pressure to deliver products that offer higher bandwidth and better reliability while consuming less power," he added, speaking in a press statement.

Broadcom cited market reports that predict the high speed network port market will hit sales of $52 billion in 2015. The number of Gbit/s or faster ports jumped 43 percent in 2010, and manufacturer revenue grew 28 percent in 2010, to just under $33 billion, it said.