Date: 06/09/2012

Network processor chip from EZchip for high-speed data plane processing

EZchip Semiconductor Ltd. has unveiled network processor chip for layer 2-7 processing. This C-programmable network processor enables the migration of advanced layer 4-7 features from specialized services cards to common line cards and enables the line card with new baseline features such as application recognition and IPSec VPNs, as well as greater velocity for adding new features. For data-center equipment, the NPS allows scaling their performance to the required loads of the evolving data center for greater layer 2-7 capabilities within constrained power and space. It empowers data-center appliances as well as carrier appliances with line-rate performance for applications such as load balancing, firewall and OpenFlow/SDN (Software Defined Networks) and network virtualization.

EZchip explains network-equipment vendors had a choice of two types of processors: NPUs that provide fast layer 2-3 processing however with complex microcode programming, and CPUs (single or multi-core) that provide flexible C-programmable layer 4-7 processing however at reduced performance and power efficiency. Ezchip's processor with new architecture get rid of comlexities in programming and offers higher performance and power efficiency, according to EZchip.

EZchip further explains: the NPS is uniquely designed for data-plane processing where packet processing and wire-speed forwarding prevail, unlike CPUs that are designed for general processing where management functions and control-plane processing prevail. Central to the NPS are its innovative CTOPs (C-programmable Task Optimized Processors). These processing engines build on EZchip’s extensive NPU experience and are designed specifically for data-plane processing. The optimized design allows the integration of 256 such processors, each with 16 threads, for a total of 4K virtual processing engines. This vast number of engines is mandatory for high-speed data-plane processing where packets are arriving at an extremely high rate and every packet is processed. The NPS architecture is in contrast to CPUs that have an order of magnitude fewer engines integrated into a chip because they are based on much larger general-purpose cores, have large memory caches, designed to execute millions lines of code, and target both data and control processing. The NPS’ efficient design allows incorporating into the chip not only a great number of cores but also EZchip’s market-proven hardware traffic manager, a task optimized memory architecture, and numerous hardware accelerators for efficient table lookups, application recognition and security. The end result is a very powerful network processor with superior power efficiency and integration.

“We are bringing to market a new breed of network processor that is architected to address the next generation of smart high-performance carrier and data-center networks. Leveraging the 10-years of experience with our NP family that made EZchip the leading high-speed NPU supplier, we believe the NPS will extend and broaden our leadership for many years to come. We are preserving NPU performance advantages, opening the L4-7 markets for us and doubling EZchip’s addressable market above and beyond serving edge routers,” said Eli Fruchter, President and CEO of EZchip Technologies. “As for our main market of edge routers, NPS extends our competitive advantage and leapfrogs the competition. Combined with our future NP products, NPS can potentially increase our market penetration in next generation edge routing by providing current and new customers with the flexibility to adopt existing or new architectures, for basic and advanced line cards.”

“We applaud EZchip for its bold move in developing the NPS, which truly redefines the network processor by stripping away traditional limitations,” said Bob Wheeler, senior analyst at The Linley Group. “Only the market leader could develop such a ground-breaking product as the NPS while preserving its customers’ software investments by also extending the NP line.”

The NPS is a new product line of NPUs from EZchip. Initially, EZchip will deliver the NPS-400 and NPS-200 products with 400-Gigabit and 200-Gigabit throughput, respectively. Samples are planned for Q4 2013 and other derivative products will follow. EZchip customers for the NP-2/3/4/5 products will have the option to maintain the benefits of code portability and scale up with a future NP-6, or C-program their applications and benefit from the new capabilities of the NPS.