Marvell introduced new transceiver to address the transition in hyperscale data centers from 25GbE (Gigabit Ethernet) and 100GbE to 50GbE, 200GbE and 400GbE.
The new device, which is part of Marvell's Alaska C family of transceivers, addresses this I/O speed transition in hyperscale data centers with support of 16 ports of 50GbE, 4 ports of 200GbE and 2 ports of 400GbE, utilizing 50G PAM4 signaling.
Marvell said its transceivers are the first PHY devices on the market to be fully compliant with new IEEE 802.3cd standards that define PAM4-based 50GbE port types. The port density on the 88X7120 has been specifically optimized to enable QSFP-DD (Quad Small Form Factor Pluggable – Double Density) and OSFP (Octal Small Form Factor Pluggable) port types for 50GbE, 200GbE and 400GbE deployments.
The devices also provide gearboxing functionality for translating between PAM4 and NRZ port types to enable a smooth transition to the newer Ethernet speeds, while maintaining support for existing optics and ASIC I/Os. They have a fully symmetric architecture, with long reach SerDes on both system and line side interfaces, to enable system design flexibility and to support both optical and direct-attach copper interconnects. The 88X7120 is sampling to key customers today.
“Increasing the throughput rate to 50Gb per lane is critical to meeting the rapidly growing bandwidth requirements in today’s hyperscale data center environments. Our next generation PHY transceivers provide the highest performance solution in the industry and will be essential to helping customers meet the ever expanding bandwidth needs of their next-generation networks,” stated Chris Koopmans, executive vice president, Networking & Connectivity, Marvell.
