AMD Announces Quad Physical Layer Devices

Portfolio of Single- and Four-Port 10/100 Ethernet PHY Devices Offers Design Flexibility, Low Cost and Low Power Consumption

SUNNYVALE, CA -- 5/24/1999 -- AMD today announced the availability of two new, highly-optimized single- and quad-port 10/100 Mbps Ethernet physical layer (PHY) devices that provide significant power and package size advantages when compared with existing PHY devices.

"We are extremely pleased to offer a family of products that focus on ease-of-design, flexibility and reliability, in addition to being cost effective," said Dr. Laila Razouk, vice president of the AMD Network Products Division. "The NetPHY™ devices enable system designers to quickly realize critical cost reduction benefits in a number of components of the overall system solution."

System-wide benefits
The new AMD NetPHY™ -1LP and NetPHY-4LP devices offer power savings and enhanced features that enable system-level benefits for network equipment manufacturers. Reliability of the entire system is also improved because each device dissipates less heat. For switch applications, quad-port devices provide the highest level of design flexibility and eliminate the need to qualify multiple types of PHY products in order to support a variety of system-level port densities.

The NetPHY-4LP quad device provides the lowest per-port power consumption on the 10/100 PHY market today. Single-port devices, like NetPHY-1LP, are optimal for embedded designs that include Ethernet support. The NetPHY products combine low-power operation and small package size to create a unique class of PHY device. Extremely low-power operation -- less than 0.3 watts per port in typical operation -- provides important benefits for all types of applications. Low-power PHY devices provide significant power savings and generate less heat than higher-power devices currently used in today's systems, allowing manufacturers to consider less expensive power supplies or fewer fans for next generation designs. The NetPHY-4LP quad device easily meets system requirements for fan-less designs and does not require additional heat sinks that higher-density PHYs may require. Reliability of the entire system is also improved because each device dissipates less heat.

Another key to lowering system cost is the small form factor that conserves valuable board real estate and eases design layout by aligning cleanly behind magnetics devices. Higher density 6, 8 or 12-port PHY devices, typically packaged in large PQFP or costly BGA packages, warrant special place-and-route considerations to maintain data integrity and to control FCC emissions, in addition to taking up more real estate than 4-port devices.

The AMD LP Family of PHY Devices
All members of the AMD family of 10/100 Ethernet PHY devices are IEEE 802.3 compliant and support MLT-3 Operation, with baseline wander, at up to at least 125 meter cable lengths. The NetPHY-4LP device implements the Reduced Media Independent Interface (RMII™ ) for saving pins required in switch applications. In addition to being designed specifically for optimal power consumption, the LP devices support power management features that can reduce power consumption below their normal 300mWatts per port. Both devices offer the following key features:

• Use of 1.25: 1 transmit transformer ratio (270mWatts per port)
• Unplugged mode (100mWatts per port)
• Power down mode (3mWatts per port)

Package and availability
The NetPHY-1LP device is available now in a 12x12 mm 80 -pin TQFP package. Volume pricing for the NetPHY-1LP device is $3.35 for 50,000 quantities. The NetPHY-4LP device will be in production in June 1999 in a 14x20mm 100-pin PQFP package. Volume pricing for the NetPHY-4LP device is $8.95 for 50,000 quantities.