Microsemi Targets 400G Metro Optical with DIGI-G4 OTN Processor

Microsemi announced  mass production of its DIGI-G4, its latest DIGI Optical Transport Network (OTN) processor enabling the transition to 400G OTN switching solutions in metro transport networks.

Microsemi's DIGI-G4 enables network equipment vendors to double the 100G OTN port density on their optical transport systems, while achieving a 50 percent reduction in power per 100G port.

Some highlights:

• Industry's first single-chip 4x100G solution for OTN switched line cards
• Integrated 100G gearbox for direct connect to CFP2, CFP4 and QSFP28 transceivers
• Industry's highest density 10G, 40G and 100G multi-service support, including Ethernet, storage, IP/MPLS and SONET/SDH
• Industry's first sub-wavelength OTN encryption solution to secure the cloud
• Industry's first 25G granularity flexible framer to DSP interface providing scalable line-rates to match the programmable modulation capabilities found in next-generation coherent DSPs
• Multi-chip Interlaken interconnect solutions for scalable compact chassis data center interconnect applications
• High performance OTN-SDK with adapter layer software accelerates customer time-to-market

"We have been working very closely with some of the world's leading original equipment manufacturers to complete Carrier qualification of their 400G OTN designs," said Babak Samimi, vice president and business unit manager of Microsemi, Communications business unit. "This year we will see our DIGI-G4 deployed in networks worldwide as the key technology for driving the transition to 400G OTN switching, in addition to enabling a new wave of flexible optical transport infrastructure that is software-defined networking (SDN)-ready and delivers on the security needs being demanded for cloud-connectivity powered by our embedded encryption engine."

http://www.microsemi.com/applications/communications

• In January 2016, Microsemi completed its acquisition of PMC-Sierra in a deal valued at approximately $2.5 billion.

PMC's DIGI-G4 Processor Scales OTN Line Card Capacity by 4X

Thursday, March 19, 2015  #Packet/Optical, OTN, PMC, Silicon, Terabit  No comments

PMC-Sierra has commenced sampling of its new DIGI-G4 chip -- the industry's highest density 4x100G OTN processor and featuring 50 percent less power per port than the previous generation.

The DIGI-G4 OTN processor, which builds on the success of PMC’s DIGI-120G, enabling the transition to 400G line cards in packet optical transport platforms (P-OTP), ROADM/WDM and optimized data center interconnect platforms for OTN switched metro networks. It increases 10G, 40G and 100G line card port density by 4X with flexible client mapping of Ethernet, storage, IP/MPLS and SONET/SDH, while reducing power by 50 percent per port. DIGI-G4 builds on the IP from DIGI-120G, enabling customers to maintain their rich feature set and software investment, which reduces time to market by up to six months and lowers development costs.

Significantly, DIGI-G4 delivers multi-rate, sub-180ns latency OTN encryption, allowing cloud and communications service providers to ensure security without compromising performance. DIGI-G4 supports sub-wavelength OTN encryption and is compatible with OTN switched networks. PMC said these these capabilities, combined with the densest 10G/40G/100G Ethernet ports, enables a new class of low-power, high-capacity transport platforms optimized specifically for the hyperscale data center WAN interconnect market (see whitepaper).

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PMC Intros Smart Solutions for Data Center Storage Connectivity

PMC-Sierra introduced its HBA 1000 series of 12Gb/s SAS/SATA Host Bus Adapters, the first products in PMC’s new Smart family of solutions for high-performance cloud and enterprise server storage connectivity.

The HBA 1000 use field-proven Smart intellectual property (IP) from the most widely deployed server storage stack and PMC’s SmartIOC controller. It offers up to 16 internal or external SAS/SATA ports in a low-profile MD2 form factor.

A low-profile form factor and mini-SAS HD connectors allow the HBA 1000 to install into 2U servers for maximum native connectivity in the smallest footprint with no impediment to air flow. It is fully compatible with RAID adapters and expanders for complete scalability to store, retrieve, and manage data across SSDs, HDDs and tape drives. The HBA 1000 saturates the PCIe Gen 3 bus and delivers up to 1.3 million I/Os Per Second (IOPS) with SAS SSDs, utilizing 60 percent less power than competing HBAs. This lowers energy consumption and helps avoid the heat dissipation issues that are typically found in dense server environments. The HBA 1000 also delivers 2.5 times greater sequential throughput and 85 percent higher random read performance for cloud data centers deploying SATA drives for application acceleration, compared to a common configuration of up to 10 SATA SSDs attached directly to the server without an HBA.

“PMC’s new Smart Storage Solutions combine over 25 years of Adaptec compatibility with our high performance and resilient Smart IP that’s based on the industry’s most broadly deployed server stack, running on high-density PMC silicon,” said Pete Hazen, vice president of the Scalable Solutions Group at PMC. “The HBA 1000 products are the first offering in our Smart family, enabling storage connectivity at less than half the power of alternatives.”

http://www.pmc-sierra.com

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Microsemi and PMC Agree on Acquisition

Microsemi Corporation and PMC-Sierra entered into a definitive agreement under which Microsemi will acquire PMC for $9.22 in cash and 0.0771 of a share of Microsemi common stock for each share of PMC common stock through an exchange offer. The transaction is valued at approximately $2.5 billion and represents a 77.4 percent percent premium to the closing price of PMC's stock as of Sept. 30, 2015.

"We are pleased PMC has accepted our compelling strategic offer, which clearly benefits shareholders of both Microsemi and PMC. We can now shift our focus to realizing the significant synergies identified during our comprehensive analysis," said James J. Peterson, Microsemi's chairman and CEO. "As we have previously stated, this acquisition will provide Microsemi with a leading position in high performance and scalable storage solutions, while also adding a complementary portfolio of high-value communications products."

The transaction is expected to be immediately accretive to Microsemi's non-GAAP EPS and free cash flow. Microsemi anticipates achieving more than $100 million in annual cost synergies with greater than $75 million of those expected to be realized in the first full quarter of combined operations. Microsemi currently estimates approximately $0.60 of non-GAAP EPS accretion in the first full year after closing the transaction.

Terms of the agreement were approved by the boards of directors of both Microsemi and PMC.

http://www.microsemi.com

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Microsemi Revises Offer to Acquire PMC

Microsemi increased its proposal to acquire PMC-Sierra to $9.22 in cash and 0.0771x of a share of Microsemi common stock for each share of PMC common stock. The implied enterprise value is $2.3 billion, net of PMC's net cash balance as of Sept. 27, 2015. Based on the closing stock price of Microsemi on Nov. 17, 2015, the transaction is valued at $12.05 per PMC share.

"The board of PMC chose not to recommend to their shareholders our previous proposal, which was $0.17 per share higher than the existing offer from Skyworks," said James J. Peterson, Microsemi's chairman and CEO. "Our revised offer delivers even more value to shareholders and we have addressed PMC's preference in increasing the cash component of our proposal. Because we are not subject to the same uncertainty regarding regulatory approvals, our unique ability to close this transaction represents the best approach to realizing the value of PMC in a timely manner, consistent with the board's fiduciary responsibility to its shareholders."

http://www.microsemi.com

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PMC-Sierra Reiterates Commitment to Skyworks Deal

PMC-Sierra's board of directors unanimously determined that the proposal received on November 9, 2015 from Microsemi Corporation to acquire all of the outstanding shares of PMC common stock is not superior to PMC’s existing agreement with Skyworks Solutions, Inc..

The company's board said the Skyworks all cash proposal provides more value certainty to PMC stockholders than the stock and cash consideration provided in the Microsemi proposal.

http://www.pmc-sierra.com

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Microsemi Sweetens Offer to Acquire PMC-Sierra

Microsemi increased its offer to acquire PMC-Sierra.  Under the new proposal, PMC shareholders would receive $9.04 in cash and 0.0771x of a Microsemi common share for each PMC common share held at the close of the transaction. The implied enterprise value is $2.3 billion, net of PMC's net cash balance as of Sept. 27, 2015. Based on the closing stock price of Microsemi on Oct. 29, 2015, the transaction is valued at $11.88 per PMC share.

"Our revised proposal offers superior value to PMC's shareholders, and Microsemi is uniquely positioned to realize significant synergies," said James J. Peterson, Microsemi's chairman and CEO. "Our offer is more strategic, offers more certainty in terms of closing approval process and timing, and at a higher price than the Skyworks proposal. Shareholders receive cash now as well as the opportunity to participate in the significant upside potential of a global analog and mixed-signal leader with a highly diversified platform for growth and profitability."

http://www.microsemi.com

Microsemi Announces Bid to Acquire PMC-Sierra

Monday, October 19, 2015  Mergers and Acquisitions, PMC  No comments

Microsemi announced an offer to acquire PMC-Sierra for $11.50 per PMC share, representing a premium of approximately 50 percent to the closing price on Oct. 5, 2015, the last trading day prior to the announcement of PMC's proposed acquisition with Skyworks Solutions.  The offer price is based on the closing stock price of Microsemi on Oct. 16, 2015. Microsemi said its offer is better than that of Skyworks because its cash and stock proposal...

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Skyworks to Acquire PMC-Sierra for $2 Billion

Monday, October 05, 2015  Canada, Mergers and Acquisitions, PMC, Silicon, Skyworks  No comments

Skyworks Solutions has agreed to acquire PMC-Sierra for $10.50 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $2 billion. Skyworks, which is based in  Woburn, Massachusetts, supplies high performance analog semiconductors for automotive, broadband, wireless infrastructure, energy management, GPS, industrial, medical, military, wireless networking, smartphone, and tablet applications. The company’s portfolio includes amplifiers,...

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PMC Posts Q3 Revenue or $134 Million

PMC-Sierra reported Q3 2015 revenue of $133.6 million, an increase of 7.1 percent compared to $124.8 million in the second quarter of 2015, and a decrease of 1.4 percent from $135.5 million in the third quarter of 2014.

GAAP net income in the third quarter of 2015 totaled $6.7 million or $0.03 per diluted share, compared to GAAP net loss in the second quarter of 2015 of $8.6 million or $0.04 per share, and to GAAP net income in the third quarter of 2014 of $5.5 million or $0.03 per diluted share. GAAP operating margin in the third quarter of 2015 was 8.3 percent, compared to GAAP operating margin in the third quarter of 2014 of 5.5 percent.

For Q3:

• Storage product revenues reached a quarterly record of $97.6 million, or 73 percent of revenues, an increase of 12 percent compared to storage product revenues of $87.0 million in the second quarter of 2015. 
• Optical product revenues in the third quarter of 2015 totaled $23.5 million, or 18 percent of revenues, a decrease of 7 percent compared to optical product revenues of $25.2 million in the second quarter of 2015. 
• Mobile product revenues in the third quarter of 2015 totaled $12.5 million, or 9 percent of revenues, which was flat compared to mobile product revenues of $12.6 million in the second quarter of 2015.

http://www.pmc-sierra.com

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PMC Unveils 3rd Gen OTN/Ethernet Framer with Encryption for Routers

PMC introduced its META-240G, its third generation, multi-rate OTN/Ethernet framer for routers. This next gen converged OTN/Ethernet 10G/40G/100G router PHY enables 2X scaling of router line cards.

New capabilities in this META-240G generation include an integrated 100G gearbox for interfacing directly with optical modules, including the new high-density QSFP28 transceivers.  PMC also added ultra-low latency OTN encryption, which is targeted at point-to-point, secure data center interconnects or multipoint, secure cloud connectivity. The new silicon also consumes 50 percent less power per port than the previous generation.

Key features include:

• Support for OTN wrapping of 10GE/40GE/100GE to OTU2/OTU3/OTU4;
• Industry compatible ITU-T 10G, 40G, and 100G FECs;
• Integrated, protocol agnostic AES-256 datapath encryption engine with flexible key management for SDN control;
• Support for IEEE 1588v2 PTP and Synchronous Ethernet timing protocols, enabling packet-based mobile backhaul and packet transport networks;
• Integrated 100G Gearbox to connect directly to a wide range of 10G, 40G and 100G optical module types, including CFP2, CFP4 and QSFP28; and
• Leverages common Software Development Kit across META and DIGI family code base.

“The convergence of packet and optical transport layers with OTN allows service providers to deploy more robust and manageable networks,” said Babak Samimi, vice president of marketing and applications for PMC’s Communications Business Unit. “With our DIGI products driving the migration to OTN in the optical transport network and the META family extending OTN to the router network, the industry is realizing this network vision built on PMC’s technology.”

Sampling is underway.

http://investor.pmcs.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=74533&p=irol-newsArticle_Print&ID=2100437

PMC's DIGI-G4 Processor Scales OTN Line Card Capacity by 4X

Thursday, March 19, 2015  #Packet/Optical, OTN, PMC, Silicon, Terabit  No comments

PMC-Sierra has commenced sampling of its new DIGI-G4 chip -- the industry's highest density 4x100G OTN processor and featuring 50 percent less power per port than the previous generation.

The DIGI-G4 OTN processor, which builds on the success of PMC’s DIGI-120G, enabling the transition to 400G line cards in packet optical transport platforms (P-OTP), ROADM/WDM and optimized data center interconnect platforms for OTN switched metro networks. It increases 10G, 40G and 100G line card port density by 4X with flexible client mapping of Ethernet, storage, IP/MPLS and SONET/SDH, while reducing power by 50 percent per port. DIGI-G4 builds on the IP from DIGI-120G, enabling customers to maintain their rich feature set and software investment, which reduces time to market by up to six months and lowers development costs.

Significantly, DIGI-G4 delivers multi-rate, sub-180ns latency OTN encryption, allowing cloud and communications service providers to ensure security without compromising performance. DIGI-G4 supports sub-wavelength OTN encryption and is compatible with OTN switched networks. PMC said these these capabilities, combined with the densest 10G/40G/100G Ethernet ports, enables a new class of low-power, high-capacity transport platforms optimized specifically for the hyperscale data center WAN interconnect market (see whitepaper).

“Without DIGI-G4 the industry would be challenged to transition to 400G OTN switched metro networks,” said Babak Samimi, vice president of marketing and applications for PMC’s Communications Business Unit. “The world’s leading OEMs are designing around DIGI-G4 because our solution allows them to scale their product portfolios to the highest capacities at half the power per port, while leveraging their existing DIGI software investment. Coupled with new capabilities like OTN encryption, we’re solidifying PMC’s position as the industry leader in OTN processors.”

DIGI-G4 Highlights

• Industry’s first single-chip 4x100G solution for OTN switched line cards
• Integrated 100G Gearbox for direct connect to CFP2, CFP4 and QSFP28 transceivers
• Industry’s highest density 10G, 40G and 100G multi-service support, including Ethernet, storage, IP/MPLS and SONET/SDH
• Industry’s first sub-wavelength OTN encryption solution to secure the cloud
• Industry’s first 25G granularity flexible framer to DSP interface providing scalable line-rates to match the programmable modulation capabilities found in next-generation Coherent DSPs
• Multi-chip Interlaken interconnect solutions for scalable compact chassis data center interconnect applications
• High performance OTN-SDK with adapter layer software accelerates customer time to market

The PM5990 DIGI-G4 is sampling now.

http://www.pmcs.com/OTN

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Microsemi Announces Bid to Acquire PMC-Sierra

Microsemi announced an offer to acquire PMC-Sierra for $11.50 per PMC share, representing a premium of approximately 50 percent to the closing price on Oct. 5, 2015, the last trading day prior to the announcement of PMC's proposed acquisition with Skyworks Solutions.  The offer price is based on the closing stock price of Microsemi on Oct. 16, 2015.

Microsemi said its offer is better than that of Skyworks because its cash and stock proposal would provide PMC shareholders with a substantial premium and immediate cash value, as well as the opportunity to participate in the significant upside potential of a global analog and mixed-signal leader with a highly diversified platform for growth and profitability.

Under the terms of Microsemi's proposal, PMC shareholders will receive $8.75 in cash and 0.0736 of a share of Microsemi common stock for each share of PMC common stock held at the close of the transaction. The implied total transaction value is approximately $2.4 billion and the implied enterprise value is $2.2 billion, net of PMC's net cash balance as of June 27, 2015.

"Based on extensive discussions with PMC over the past 18 months and comprehensive analysis, we believe this transaction offers compelling strategic and financial benefits for the shareholders of both Microsemi and PMC," said James J. Peterson, Microsemi's chairman and CEO. "This acquisition will provide Microsemi with a leading position in high performance and scalable storage solutions targeted for data center and cloud applications, while also adding a complementary portfolio of high-value communications products. Microsemi has a strong track record of integrating acquisitions and driving profitability, and we will benefit from increased scale, industry-leading margins, diversified market exposure, consolidated infrastructure and substantial cost savings in a combination with PMC."

http://www.microsemi.com/

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Skyworks to Acquire PMC-Sierra for $2 Billion

Skyworks Solutions has agreed to acquire PMC-Sierra for $10.50 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $2 billion.

Skyworks, which is based in  Woburn, Massachusetts, supplies high performance analog semiconductors for automotive, broadband, wireless infrastructure, energy management, GPS, industrial, medical, military, wireless networking, smartphone, and tablet applications. The company’s portfolio includes amplifiers, attenuators, circulators, demodulators, detectors, diodes, directional couplers, front-end modules, hybrids, infrastructure RF subsystems, isolators, lighting and display solutions, mixers, modulators, optocouplers, optoisolators, phase shifters, PLLs/synthesizers/VCOs, power dividers/combiners, power management devices, receivers, switches, and technical ceramics. For its fiscal year 2014, Skyworks reported revenue of 2.3 billion, up 28 percent from fiscal 2013.

PMC, which is based in Sunnyvale, California with operation in Burnaby, British Columbia,  offers a range of semiconductor products for storage, optical networking, mobile and embedded processors.

Skyworks said this acquisition solidifies its position as a highly diversified analog, RF and mixed signal semiconductor leader by significantly expanding its product portfolio, customer base and end market applications. Upon completion of the acquisition, Skyworks expects annual revenues of more than $4 billion with gross margin in the 55 percent range and operating margin exceeding 40 percent.

“With our acquisition of PMC, Skyworks will be uniquely positioned to capitalize on the explosive demand for high performance solutions that seamlessly connect, transport and store Big Data,” said David J. Aldrich, chairman and chief executive officer of Skyworks. “Specifically, we plan to leverage PMC’s innovative storage systems, flash controllers, optical switches and network infrastructure solutions to expand our engagements with some of the world’s leading OEMs and ODMs as well as emerging hyperscale data center customers. At a higher level, this complementary yet highly synergistic acquisition is consistent with our stated strategy of diversifying into adjacent vertical markets while leveraging our system-level expertise and global scale. PMC enables us to substantially expand our serviceable market within some of the fastest growing segments in technology including cloud storage and optical networking. Financially, we expect this transaction to create further economic value for our shareholders upon closing, with immediate margin expansion and accretion. After we implement $75 million of synergies, we expect at least $0.75 of incremental non-GAAP diluted earnings per share on an annual basis.”

“The PMC team is excited to join forces with Skyworks to realize our vision of transforming the broader communications landscape through unparalleled product breadth and operational scale,” said Greg Lang, president and chief executive officer of PMC. “Given Skyworks’ deep global sales channels and leadership applications support, underpinned by a world class supply chain, we could not have found a better partner. Together, we plan to develop a wider range of leading-edge solutions for our customers, target new growth vectors and enable some of the most exciting networking and storage platforms in the world, while delivering immediate value for our shareholders.”

http://www.pmcs.com
http://www.skyworks.com

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PMC Debuts Fastest SSD Contrillers and PCIe Switches

PMC-Sierra introduced the industry’s first PCI Express (PCIe) storage switches and the world’s fastest solid-state drive (SSD) controllers.

The company says its new, second-generation Flashtec NVMe Controllers will power new SSD capable of one million IOPS and greater than 20TB of flash capacity. They are the industry’s first SSD controllers to integrate DDR4 DRAM.

PMC's new Switchtec PSX storage switches enable PCIe flash drives to scale in high-performance storage systems, with enterprise-class resiliency and the industry’s lowest power. PMC says systems built with Switchtec PSX consume up to 60 percent less power than those using other PCIe switches, enabling a savings of nearly 1000 Watts per rack. Systems also require 75 percent fewer devices than other switches in a typical flash array, allowing system designers to increase flash density, lower bill of materials costs, and improve the mean time before failure for higher reliability. The Switchtec PSX family comprises switches from 24 lanes to 96 lanes.

“While working with the industry to enable the first NVMe SSDs, it became clear there was no reliable way to connect and scale many of them in a single enclosure, much like SAS does today,” said Derek Dicker, vice president of the Performance Solutions Group at PMC. “In partnership with the industry’s most forward-thinking hyperscale and all-flash array customers, PMC created a new PCIe storage switch category with our Switchtec products to deliver the high port count, low power, resilient storage features that the industry needs.”

http://www.pmcs.com/performancestorage.

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PMC Trims Back Following Weaker Than Expected Carrier & Storage Markets

PMC-Sierra reported revenue of $124.8 million for Q2 2015, a decrease of 1.6 percent, compared to $126.8 million in the second quarter of 2014, and a decrease of 6.2 percent from $133.1 million in the first quarter of 2015. GAAP net loss in the second quarter of 2015 totaled $8.6 million or $0.04 per share, compared to GAAP net loss in the second quarter of 2014 of $3.5 million or $0.02 per share, and GAAP net income in the first quarter of 2015 of $4.7 million or $0.02 per diluted share.

The company also today initiated steps to reduce spending across the organization by approximately 14%, including a reduction in force of approximately 200 employees worldwide and other reductions that are together expected to result in approximately $40 million per year in savings.

“2015 has started weaker than expected in the carrier and storage end markets,” said PMC President and Chief Executive Officer, Greg Lang. “Given the tepid growth environment, we are taking immediate action to reduce spending and accelerate our return to target model profitability.”

http://pmcs.com/

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PMC Unveils OTN-based Fronthaul for C-RAN Architecture

PMC-Sierra unveiled an OTN-based solution for fronthaul networking in Centralized Baseband RAN (C-RAN) architectures used for LTE and LTE-Advanced systems.

The OTN solution meets the 3GPP specifications for end-to-end latency and jitter while multiplexing multiple CPRI signals onto a single 10G wavelength. PMC said this OTN fronthaul architecture substantially reduces fiber consumption in the access network. The company is offering a reference design based on its existing HyPHY 20Gflex and HyPHY 10Gflex devices.

“Solving the mobile fronthaul networking challenge is the key to enabling C-RAN,” said Dr. Chih-Lin I, chief scientist of wireless technologies, China Mobile Research Institute, CMCC. “CMCC is looking for more cost-effective, scalable and carrier-grade fronthaul solutions. As the standard protocol for carrier-grade transport, OTN is a very compelling option and we’re excited to see ecosystem partners like PMC innovating to deliver solutions that address the networking needs of mobile fronthaul.”

“Distributed remote radios in a C-RAN architecture has tremendous potential to address expanding mobile capacity and coverage needs, but it creates a fronthaul networking problem that PMC has now solved,” said Babak Samimi, vice president of marketing for PMC’s Communications Business Unit. “PMC’s new OTN-based mobile fronthaul solution not only meets operator needs, it also allows carriers to build on their end-to-end OTN strategy and benefit from the operational efficiency and management simplicity that comes with a converged network.”

http://www.pmcs.com/fronthaul

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PMC's DIGI-G4 Processor Scales OTN Line Card Capacity by 4X

PMC-Sierra has commenced sampling of its new DIGI-G4 chip -- the industry's highest density 4x100G OTN processor and featuring 50 percent less power per port than the previous generation.

The DIGI-G4 OTN processor, which builds on the success of PMC’s DIGI-120G, enabling the transition to 400G line cards in packet optical transport platforms (P-OTP), ROADM/WDM and optimized data center interconnect platforms for OTN switched metro networks. It increases 10G, 40G and 100G line card port density by 4X with flexible client mapping of Ethernet, storage, IP/MPLS and SONET/SDH, while reducing power by 50 percent per port. DIGI-G4 builds on the IP from DIGI-120G, enabling customers to maintain their rich feature set and software investment, which reduces time to market by up to six months and lowers development costs.

Significantly, DIGI-G4 delivers multi-rate, sub-180ns latency OTN encryption, allowing cloud and communications service providers to ensure security without compromising performance. DIGI-G4 supports sub-wavelength OTN encryption and is compatible with OTN switched networks. PMC said these these capabilities, combined with the densest 10G/40G/100G Ethernet ports, enables a new class of low-power, high-capacity transport platforms optimized specifically for the hyperscale data center WAN interconnect market (see whitepaper).

“Without DIGI-G4 the industry would be challenged to transition to 400G OTN switched metro networks,” said Babak Samimi, vice president of marketing and applications for PMC’s Communications Business Unit. “The world’s leading OEMs are designing around DIGI-G4 because our solution allows them to scale their product portfolios to the highest capacities at half the power per port, while leveraging their existing DIGI software investment. Coupled with new capabilities like OTN encryption, we’re solidifying PMC’s position as the industry leader in OTN processors.”

DIGI-G4 Highlights

• Industry’s first single-chip 4x100G solution for OTN switched line cards
• Integrated 100G Gearbox for direct connect to CFP2, CFP4 and QSFP28 transceivers
• Industry’s highest density 10G, 40G and 100G multi-service support, including Ethernet, storage, IP/MPLS and SONET/SDH
• Industry’s first sub-wavelength OTN encryption solution to secure the cloud
• Industry’s first 25G granularity flexible framer to DSP interface providing scalable line-rates to match the programmable modulation capabilities found in next-generation Coherent DSPs
• Multi-chip Interlaken interconnect solutions for scalable compact chassis data center interconnect applications
• High performance OTN-SDK with adapter layer software accelerates customer time to market

The PM5990 DIGI-G4 is sampling now.

http://www.pmcs.com/OTN

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PMC Supplies 12Gb/s SAS Storage for Lenovo

PMC Sierra announced that Lenovo has selected its storage solutions for external connectivity across its ThinkServer portfolio.

The Lenovo 8885E by PMC card delivers the full throughput of 12Gb/s SAS and 6.6GB/s PCI Express 3.0 to maximize the performance of ThinkServer scale-out storage. The card will be offered on Lenovo rack and tower servers.

“Lenovo’s ThinkServer products are versatile enough to handle workloads ranging from those found in SMBs to enterprise data centers,” said Pete Hazen, vice president of the Data Center & Server Group at PMC. “A key component of that flexibility comes from their ability to scale based on business needs. IT professionals and data center managers will find that this PMC-based card addresses their immediate storage needs and allows them to future proof against ever-increasing workloads and emerging storage requirements.”

http://www.pmcs.com/storage

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PMC Posts Q3 Revenue of $135.5M, up 7%

PMC-Sierra reported net revenues in the third quarter of 2014 of $135.5 million, an increase of 7 percent from $126.8 million in the second quarter of 2014 and an increase of 6 percent, compared to $128.4 million in the third quarter of 2013. GAAP net income in the third quarter of 2014 totaled $5.5 million or $0.03 per diluted share, compared to a GAAP net loss in the second quarter of 2014 of $3.5 million or a $0.02 loss per share.

“Our Storage business performed exceedingly well this past quarter with double-digit growth across all of its product lines,” said PMC president and chief executive officer, Greg Lang. “PMC remains well-positioned for continued growth into FY2015, as we expect to see increasing demand for our 12Gb/s SAS I/O controllers and expanders, advanced DIGI OTN processors, Flashtec™ NVMe controllers and our new RF Remote Radio Head products.”

http://investor.pmcs.com

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PMC Delivers 16-port SAS Controllers for Hyperscale Servers

PMC-Sierra announced commercial shipment of the first 16-port 12Gb/s SAS and 16-port 6Gb/s SATA I/O controllers designed for data center servers used in hyperscale deployments, such as Open Compute, Windows Cloud Servers, OpenStack and Project Scorpio.

The data center I/O product line supports the PCI Express 3.0 specification and includes the following devices:

16-port 12Gb/s SAS I/O controller: PM8076
8-port 12Gb/s SAS I/O controller: PM8074
16-port 6Gb/s SATA I/O controller: PM8006

“The diversity of customized solutions that hyperscale data centers are deploying and the demanding density, power and cost requirements present significant challenges to our OEM and ODM customers,” said Pete Hazen, vice president of the Data Center & Server Group at PMC. “PMC’s I/O controllers are designed to address these challenges. It’s the only solution that enables a three-in-one design, and our higher port count and lower power give our customers the advantage they need in this competitive market segment.”

http://www.pmcs.com/storage

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PMC Licenses HP Smart Array Intellectual Property

PMC-Sierra agreed to license HP's Smart Array software, firmware and management technology in order to provide more system value to new and existing server storage and data center customers. The license covers Smart Array technology and associated patents, including software and firmware IP related to RAID, HBA, switch, drivers and management tools. The deal also positions PMC as the supplier of key storage solution components across HP ProLiant Gen9 and beyond.

“I am pleased that HP and PMC will continue to partner to deliver industry-leading storage solutions and that PMC will be the supplier for this technology in HP ProLiant products,” said Greg Lang, president and chief executive officer of PMC. “This collaboration reflects the strong relationship we have enjoyed over several generations of products and paves the way for future generations of Smart Array solutions.”

http://pmcs.com/

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PMC's New Flashtec NVRAM Drives Achieve 10 Million IOPS

PMC introduced its new Flashtec NVRAM Drives -- a new ultra-fast storage class memory tier to accelerate critical applications in scale-out storage and all-flash arrays.

The new PCIe 3.0 drives combine the speed and endurance of DRAM with the persistency of NAND flash.  The company claims ten times higher performance than the fastest Solid State Drive (SSD), at more than 10 million I/Os per second (IOPS), with sub-microsecond latency. The drives can be used as both a persistent memory extension mapped directly to the host, delivering more than 10 million IOPS for small, random access transactions, and as an NVMe block device for efficient DMA transactions, reaching more than one million random read 4KB IOPS.

“Native PCIe-based solutions are a major disruption to the SSD market because they provide a direct link between the CPU and flash, breaking the traditional performance scale,” said Derek Dicker, vice president of the NVM Solutions Group at PMC. “The PMC Flashtec family sets a new benchmark for storage performance, and our standards-based architecture allows our customers to get their storage solutions to market much sooner with differentiated features tuned for cost, performance and endurance.”

The Flashtec NVRAM Drive family is based on PMC’s NVMe controllers, which enable SSDs with up to 8TB of storage and performance of up to 875,000 random read 4KB IOPS, two times greater capacity and performance than other controllers.

The Flashtec NVRAM Drives are available in 4GB, 8GB and 16GB capacities in production quantities as early as Q4 2014. The Flashtec NVMe controllers are available in 16- and 32-channel options and are in high-volume production.

http://pmcs.com/products/storage_solutions/flashtec_storage_solutions/

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PMC Posts Q2 Revenue of $127 Million, Strength in Optical and Mobile

PMC-Sierra posted Q2 revenue of $126.8 million, an increase of 0.2 percent from $126.5 million in the first quarter of 2014, and a decrease of 1.0 percent compared to $127.6 million in the second quarter of 2013. GAAP net loss in the second quarter of 2014 totaled $3.5 million, or $0.02 per share, compared to a GAAP net loss in the first quarter of 2014 of $4.2 million, or $0.02 per share.

“We have closed another solid quarter with both revenue and non-GAAP EPS above the midpoint of our expectations. Strength in both our Optical and Mobile products more than offset lower revenue from our Storage products due to inventory consumption at two of our larger customers,” said Greg Lang, PMC president and chief executive officer. “As we look to the balance of 2014, we believe we will see four key areas contribute to growth: 12G SAS, Flash Controllers, OTN and RF products. After years of investment, we are pleased to see these product cycles take hold, fueled by the continued escalation of data traffic.”

http://pmcs.com/

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