Data infrastructure semiconductor specialist Marvell Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRVL) has now introduced its Alaska C X9340P device, a new 5nm 1.6T Ethernet PHY with 100G I/O capability, featuring built-in Media Access Control security (MACsec) and full support for Precision Time Protocol (PTP) functions for cloud data center and communications network applications.
MACsec allows data center operators to enable hardware-based link-layer security. PTP enables Ethernet networks to support ultra-reliable timing-critical services. The X9340P and the company's previously announced Alaska C X93160 PHY together provide a pin-compatible, flexible platform for retiming, gearboxing, encryption and timing applications for speeds up to 800GbE.
Venu Balasubramonian, vice president of product marketing, High Speed Connectivity and PHY Business Unit at Marvell, remarked:
"100G PAM4 I/Os and 800 Gigabit Ethernet are the next leap forward for the industry. Our newest 1.6T Alaska C PHY solidifies Marvell's position as the silicon provider with one of the broadest and most advanced high-speed Ethernet PHY portfolios for cloud data center and carrier markets."
The X9340P is the latest Marvell product built on the firm's highest performance PAM4-based 112 Gbps SerDes technology, and delivers 40% lower power-per-bit compared to PHYs using 56Gbps PAM4-based SerDes technology, according to Marvell.
The Alaska C X9340P PHY incorporates the IEEE 802.1AE 256-bit MACsec capability in the PHY, providing for flexible encryption deployment while eliminating the cost and power burden of including this functionality in the switch ASIC.
Marvell noted it is supporting the Switch Abstraction Interface (SAI) driven by the Open Compute Project (OCP) on both the X9340P and X93160 devices to enable the vendor-independent control of networking equipment elements demanded by leading cloud data center customers.
Sameh Boujelbene, senior director, Campus and Ethernet Switch Market Research at Dell'Oro Group, remarked:
"Switching remains one of the stronger markets in data infrastructure. We anticipate that the data center switch market will grow at 9% CAGR over the next five-years with cloud and telco service providers growing double-digits and comprising two thirds of the market by 2026. Growth in cloud and telco service provider segments will also be accompanied by an increase in bandwidth, power efficiency and security requirements. As 800G networking rolls out, we expect to see more focus on PHY performance and encryption."
Marvell emphasized that the new PHY also integrates support for PTP for timing-critical use cases in 5G and telecom applications. The stringent timing requirements of 5G networks and applications served by them are driving the timing accuracy that needs to be delivered by networks supporting these services.
The inclusion of Class C PTP timestamping enables the support of sub-microsecond end-to-end clock synchronization accuracy needed for 5G Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communications (URLLC) services that enable mission-critical use cases such as industrial automation.