Marvell Introduces Industry’s First Octal Multi-Gigabit Ethernet Transceiver

Marvell, a leader in storage, networking, and connectivity semiconductor solutions, has unveiled Alaska® M 88E2180 Gigabit Ethernet transceiver. It’s the world’s first octal multi-Gigabit Ethernet transceiver compatible with both the IEEE 802.3bz standard and the NBASE-T Alliance specification for 2.5 and 5 Gbps operation over CAT5e cables.

 

The highly sophisticated IC will allow a quick and cost-effective migration to multi-Gigabit Ethernet networking infrastructure. Marvell will soon demonstrate its new Alaska M 88E2180 Gigabit Ethernet transceiver as part of its broad portfolio of solutions for the enterprise market during COMPUTEX in Taipei, Taiwan, from May 30 to June 2.

 

The bandwidth demands in most of the enterprise campuses are increasing dramatically owing to the proliferation of video streaming, growing need for additional storage, backup, and continued adoption of cloud-based services. 

 

 

However, many enterprises have installed Ethernet CAT5e cabling typically limited to 1 GBPS. As the new Ethernet transceiver can be deployed on existing wired infrastructure, enterprises can avail the benefit of Marvell’s new PHY technology that provides data rates of up to 5 times as compared to traditional offerings.

 

The Alaska devices can be coupled with Marvell’s Prestera switch families to provide a comprehensive solution to allow the transition to the multi-Gigabit campus environment. Marvell offers its industry-leading Prestera DX switches alongside the Alaska M 88E2180 device, facilitating the most efficient high-density design for high-port-count enterprise switches. 

 

The Prestera DX family offers a complete range of 2.5/5 Gbps switch solutions, including 8-port small and managed switches for the small and midsized business (SMB) industry as well as the 24 and 48-port enterprise access switches. 

 

For 802.11ac and 802.11ax WLAN access points, Marvell’s ARMADA® embedded processors integrated with the latest ARM®-based technology can connect to a companion device of the Alaska M 88E2180 transceiver, the Alaska M 88E2110 transceiver, to deliver 2.5/5 Gbps bandwidth, meeting the demand for Wi-Fi® network speeds beyond 1 Gbps and the move to 2.5/5GBASE-T.

 

The Alaska Ethernet transceiver has been optimized for low-power consumption and design simplicity while delivering a small footprint and exceptional cable performance that exceeds IEEE requirements. These features assist enterprise system vendors in avoiding the costly investment in engineering resources through greater utilization of board real estate and high power budgets.

 

 

Marvell first revolutionized the digital storage industry by moving information at speeds never thought possible. Today, that same breakthrough innovation remains at the heart of the company’s storage, networking, and connectivity solutions. With leading intellectual property and deep system-level knowledge, Marvell’s semiconductor solutions continue to transform the enterprise, cloud, automotive, industrial, and consumer markets.