Marvell samples dual 400GbE PHY

Marvell has begun sampling a dual 400GbE (Gigabit Ethernet) PHY transceiver with 100GbE serial electrical I/O capabilities. It enables interfacing between the current generation of switch ASICs with the next generation of optics and vice versa by supporting translation between 50G PAM4 and 100G PAM4 based implementations of 400GbE, 200GbE and 100GbE.

Marvell said its new dual 400GbE MACsec PHY (88X9121P) device with 100G serial I/Os enables the doubling of faceplate bandwidth on datacenter networks while reducing the total power consumption and cost per bit. The new device offers 256-bit MACsec encryption to ensure heightened point-to-point security, Class C compliant precision time protocol (PTP) timestamping for enhanced synchronization and Marvell’s  112G PAM4 SerDes technology for high-density 400GbE and 100GbE deployments.

The advent of 100G serial electrical signaling optical modules will allow 1:1 mapping between electrical and optical I/O speeds. This removes the additional circuitry inside 400GbE optical modules to convert from 50G electrical I/Os to 100G per lambda optical I/Os, reducing cost and power. As first to market with a PHY transceiver that has 100G serial I/Os, Marvell is placing itself at the forefront of this transitional process. The new PHY transceivers provide networking OEMs with the cutting-edge technology required for high-density dual 400G/octal 100G optical modules in QSFP-DD and OSFP form factors for cloud and data center applications.
The 88X9121P is both footprint- and software-compatible with the recently announced 88X7121P, providing a seamless upgrade path that facilitates migration to modules with 100GbE serial I/Os.

“We see the introduction of our feature-rich 100G serial I/O based, dual 400GbE PHYs playing a major role in the next evolutionary phase of the global data center and cloud sectors,” said Faraj Aalaei, executive vice president of the Networking Business Group at Marvell. “The transition to 100G serial signaling is critical for high-density optical interconnects required for next-generation switching solutions. Our newest PHY transceivers will help drive the industry transition to 100G serial I/O-based optics as data centers and cloud providers look to bring greater computing bandwidth and efficiency to their customers.”

https://www.marvell.com/company/newsroom/marvell-delivers-industry-s-first-dual-400gbe-phy-with-100g-serial-ios-and-macsec-security.html