Broadcom introduces new 50G PON chips for broadband networks – SiliconANGLE

Today Broadcom Inc started two chips for powering the so-called PON devices, which are used by network providers to provide connectivity to subscribers.

Both processors include artificial intelligence features that promise to simplify maintenance tasks.

PON, or passive optical network, is a type of optical network that includes so-called passive beam splitters. These are optical components that can capture a piece of data as it traverses the network, making multiple copies and moving each copy to a different location. Passive splitters do not use electricity, which makes them more expensive than other competing products.

A network provider’s PON distributes data traffic to customers’ homes in several steps. The first stop is a device known as an OLT that converts the electrical signals where the data traffic is taken into light. From there, the light travels through the fiber-optic cable until it reaches the so-called ONU. This is a network device that sits close to customers’ homes and converts data back into electrical signals before transmitting it to the user’s devices.

Broadcom’s two new chips are known as BCM68660 and BCM55050. They are designed to power OLT and ONU devices, respectively.

Most current PONs are based on a standard called GPON that supports download speeds of up to 2.5 gigabits per second. Some carriers also use XGS-PON, a new technology that is four times faster. The two Broadcom chips support both standards as well as 50G PON, a faster technology that is 40 times faster than GPON.

The BCM68660 and BCM55050 also share several other features. Both chips are based on a seven-nanometer manufacturing process and include a neural processing unit optimized to run AI models. According to Broadcom, network providers can use the endpoint module to run algorithms that automate tasks such as network maintenance. news.

The BCM68660, the first new chip the company has made today, includes five quad-core central processing units. All five chips are based on Arm Holdings plc’s ubiquitous command line. The CPUs power 56 network interfaces for handling data traffic, eight of which support high-speed 50G PON.

The BCM55050, another new Broadcom chip, has a simple design. It combines two CPUs with many special computing features, especially a 50G network processor designed to manage data traffic. Internet providers can use it together with the BCM68660 in their network.

“Delivering impressive cost and energy savings, Broadcom’s 50G PON solution enables telcos around the world to future-proof their networks and capitalize on 50G fiber broadband driving the next generation of applications,” said Rich Nelson, executive vice president and general manager of Broadcom. broadband video band.

The company is currently sampling the new shifts to early customers.

Photo: Broadcom