Solarflare Samples Next-Gen 10GBASE-T PHY

IRVINE, Calif. -- Solarflare Communications, the leading provider of standards-compliant 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) silicon, today announced its next-generation 10GBASE-T PHY chip is now sampling to Tier 1 switch and server original equipment and design manufacturers. Running at under 6.0 watts, the 10Xpress SFT9001 is the industry's smallest and lowest-power 65nm PHY, enabling products for data centers and enterprises to easily upgrade to standards-based 10 Gigabit Ethernet networking.

Solarflare's fully standards-compliant 10GBASE-T PHY supports 100 meter reach over copper Ethernet cabling and features triple speed auto-negotiation for 10GBASE-T, 1000BASE-T and 100BASE-TX, providing investment protection by enabling backward compatibility with current data center equipment and overall support for legacy infrastructure. With this technology, data centers and enterprises can easily upgrade to 10GbE for increased bandwidth without conducting a full network overhaul. Other key features of the PHY include scaling from 6 watts down to 100s of milliwatts and Wake-on-LAN support, both critical for network equipment power conservation. In addition, Solarflare's PHY provides 10GBASE-T cable diagnostics capability to help ease deployment and reduce network downtime by assessing line characteristics.

"10GBASE-T solutions that dramatically reduce 10GbE port prices while achieving lower power consumption can boost 10GbE mass adoption within the datacenter," said Aileen Arcilla, senior analyst at IDC. "Low power silicon solutions will allow the industry to meet the demand for high-density switch designs while power saving modes, such as Wake-on-LAN, are a pre-requisite for data centers needing to focus on energy efficiency."

Solarflare Communications Inc.