Broadcom Announces Support for 64-bit, AMD Opteron™ Processors in Servers and Workstations
Broadcom Optimizes its NetXtreme™ GbE Software Drivers for AMD64 Technology, Increasing Enterprise Network Performance and Productivity
Irvine, CA -- April 22, 2003 --Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq: BRCM), the leading provider of silicon solutions enabling broadband communications, today announced that its industry-leading Broadcom® NetXtreme™ Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) controller family, the BCM570x, supports AMD Opteron™ processors with AMD64 technology. Broadcom’s new 64-bit enhanced drivers help enable higher data throughput and increased CPU performance for today’s most demanding enterprise applications.
In addition to supporting other industry-leading PC processors, Broadcom’s 32/64-bit GbE controllers are now designed for use within AMD Opteron processor-powered servers and workstations, enhancing the performance, reliability and power efficiency of AMD’s next generation server and workstation platforms. Support for 64-bit processing enables the server or workstation to execute more tasks and increases overall network performance.
“As the leading provider of Gigabit Ethernet solutions, we have worked closely with AMD to enable high-performance, low-cost server and workstation solutions,” said Thomas Lagatta, Vice President and General Manager of Broadcom's Client Server Networking Business Unit. “The combination of AMD’s advanced 64-bit processor and Broadcom’s NetXtreme GbE controllers delivers leading-edge performance and reliability while reducing the total cost of ownership for enterprise customers worldwide.”
AMD Opteron processors provide today’s enterprises with a simplified solution to 64-bit computing in servers and workstations. It offers native 32- and 64-bit processing that preserves companies’ investments in 32-bit applications while allowing a seamless transition to a 64-bit environment when needed. The new AMD Opteron processors also include an integrated memory controller that reduces memory bottlenecks, as well as HyperTransport™ technology which increases overall system performance by removing or reducing I/O bottlenecks while increasing CPU bandwidth and reducing latency. The performance of Broadcom’s NetXtreme GbE controllers makes them an ideal solution for AMD Opteron processor-based environments, combining the highest performing servers with the highest performing network controllers.
“AMD64 technology signifies the industry’s first unified 64-bit architecture that leverages the industry-standard x86 platform and is designed to reduce the total cost of ownership for enterprises,” said Rich Heye, Vice President and General Manager of AMD’s Microprocessor Business Unit. “Broadcom has been an early supporter of our AMD64 technology across all client server platforms. Customers who utilize AMD Opteron processor-based systems can expect high-performing, compatible and reliable solutions for their enterprise beginning with servers and workstations now, to be followed by desktops later this year.”
BCM570X Product Overview:
The BCM570x NetXtreme Gigabit Ethernet controller family is comprised of a PCI/PCI-X-based 10/100/1000 Megabit per second (Mbps) media access controller with an integrated 10/100/1000 Mbps transceiver. Triple-speed (10, 100 and 1000 Mbps operation) support, with standards-based auto-negotiation, allows server, storage system, workstation and computer manufacturers to build solutions that can seamlessly interface with Ethernet, Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet equipment over existing Category 5 cabling infrastructures.
The NetXtreme family features a comprehensive software suite (Linux® 64 Redhat, Linux 64 SuSE and Windows® .Net 64 x86) supporting AMD Opteron processors and provides a complete solution for client applications, including drivers for all popular operating systems, as well as support for the latest manageability specifications such as WoL and ASF. The processor-based GbE controller design enables advanced management software to run in firmware so it can be remotely upgraded via simple downloads.
Broadcom’s Gigabit Ethernet family includes switching solutions, transceivers, security processors and controllers for servers, workstations, desktops and mobile PCs, providing the industry’s most comprehensive portfolio of Gigabit Ethernet solutions. Broadcom’s Gigabit Ethernet solutions are the most widely deployed and field-proven in the industry.
Gigabit Ethernet is rapidly becoming the standard network technology to connect today’s servers and client enterprise users. Tests conducted last year by the Ziff-Davis Media Company’s eTesting Labs (www.veritest.com) show that Gigabit Ethernet connections can provide up to a 341% performance and productivity improvement over 10/100 Fast Ethernet connections running everyday business applications on client systems such as e-mail, Web browsing, databases and disk back-up.
About Broadcom
Broadcom Corporation is the leading provider of highly integrated silicon solutions that enable broadband communications and networking of voice, video and data services. Using proprietary technologies and advanced design methodologies, Broadcom designs, develops and supplies complete system-on-a-chip solutions and related hardware and software applications for every major broadband communications market. Our diverse product portfolio includes solutions for digital cable and satellite set-top boxes; cable and DSL modems and residential gateways; high-speed transmission and switching for local, metropolitan, wide area and storage networking; home and wireless networking; cellular and terrestrial wireless communications; Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) gateway and telephony systems; broadband network processors; and SystemI/O™ server solutions. These technologies and products support our core mission: Connecting everything®.
Broadcom is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., and may be contacted at 1-949-450-8700 or at www.broadcom.com.
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995:
All statements included or incorporated by reference in this release, other than statements or characterizations of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations, estimates and projections about our industry, management's beliefs, and certain assumptions made by us. Forward-looking statements can often be identified by words such as “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “predicts,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “would,” “potential,” “continue,” similar expressions, and variations or negatives of these words. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof and are based upon the information available to us at this time. Such information is subject to change, and we will not necessarily inform you of such changes. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, our actual results could differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements as a result of various factors.
Important factors that may cause such a difference for Broadcom in connection with its Gigabit Ethernet controller products include, but are not limited to, general economic and political conditions and specific conditions in the markets we address, including the continuing significant economic slowdown and volatility in the technology sector and semiconductor industry, trends in the broadband communications markets in various geographic regions, and possible disruption in commercial activities related to terrorist activity or armed conflict in the United States and other locations; the timing and successful completion of technology and product development through volume production; the rate at which our present and future customers and end-users adopt Broadcom's technologies and products in the markets for enterprise networking; delays in the adoption and acceptance of industry standards in those markets; competitive pressures and other factors such as the qualification, availability and pricing of competing products and technologies and the resulting effects on sales and pricing of our products; our ability to retain and hire key executives, technical personnel and other employees in the numbers, with the capabilities, and at the compensation levels needed to implement our business and product plans; our ability to specify, develop or acquire, complete, introduce, market and transition to volume production new products and technologies in a timely manner; the timing of customer-industry qualification and certification of our products and the risks of non-qualification or non-certification; the timing, rescheduling or cancellation of significant customer orders and the ability of our customers to manage their inventories; the loss of a key customer; the volume of our product sales and pricing concessions on volume sales; the effects of new and emerging technologies; changes in our product or customer mix; intellectual property disputes and customer indemnification claims and other types of litigation risk; the availability and pricing of third party semiconductor foundry and assembly capacity and raw materials; fluctuations in the manufacturing yields of our third party semiconductor foundries and other problems or delays in the fabrication, assembly, testing or delivery of our products; the risks of producing products with new suppliers and at new fabrication and assembly facilities; problems or delays that we may face in shifting our products to smaller geometry process technologies and in achieving higher levels of design integration; the quality of our products and any remediation costs; the effectiveness of our expense and product cost control and reduction efforts; the risks and uncertainties associated with our international operations, particularly in light of recent events; the effects of natural disasters, international conflicts and other events beyond our control; the level of orders received that can be shipped in a fiscal quarter; and other factors.
Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, recent Current Reports on Form 8-K, and other Securities and Exchange Commission filings discuss the foregoing risks as well as other important risk factors that could contribute to such differences or otherwise affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. We undertake no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statement for any reason.
Broadcom®, the pulse logo, Connecting everything®, NetXtreme™ and SystemI/O™ are trademarks of Broadcom Corporation and/or its affiliates in the United States and certain other countries. AMD, AMD Opteron™ and combinations thereof, are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. HyperTransport™ is a licensed trademark of the HyperTransport Technology Consortium. Linux® is a trademark of Linus Torvalds. Windows® is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.
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