Microchip launches precise-timing grandmaster with gateway clock

For today’s critical infrastructure providers — including 5G wireless networks, smart grids, data centers, cable, and transportation services — a fundamental need exists for a redundant, resilient, and secure timing and synchronization solution.

To this end, Microchip Technology Inc. announced its TimeProviderÒ 4100 Release 2.2 grandmaster, which provides a new level of resiliency with the introduction of an innovative redundancy architecture. This is in addition to support for a multiband Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver and enhanced security to ensure always-on precise timing and synchronization.

Redundancy is key for infrastructure providers to ensure uninterrupted services. Infrastructure deployments previously relied on hardware redundancy to avoid service disruption despite costly modular architectures. Microchip’s TimeProvider 4100 Release 2.2 grandmaster provides redundancy via software implementation, enabling flexible deployment and lower hardware costs without sacrificing ports.

Additionally, the TimeProvider 4100 Release 2.2 grandmaster introduces an increased level of resiliency by supporting a new GNSS multi-band, multi-constellation receiver to protect against time delays, resulting from space weather, solar events, and other disruptions that may impact critical infrastructure services.

The Multiband GNSS is particularly important for the highest levels of accuracy including Primary Reference Time Clock Class B (PRTC-B) (40 ns) and Enhanced Primary Reference Time Clock (ePRTC) (30 ns). With a focus on security solutions across its technology portfolio, Microchip’s new TimeProvider 4100 Release 2.2 grandmaster adds support for RADIUS and TACACS+ as well as new anti-jamming and anti-spoofing capabilities.

“Resilient, redundant, and secure precise timing and synchronization solutions are necessary to mitigate security risks to critical infrastructure,” said Randy Brudzinski, VP and GM of Microchip’s frequency and time business unit. “This latest release brings an innovative software redundancy that enables always-on technology as well as support for multiband GNSS to eliminate ionospheric time error delays. It provides new key security, anti-jamming and anti-spoofing so critical infrastructure services can be accessed only by authorized, authenticated personnel.”

The TimeProvider 4100 Release 2.2 grandmaster also provides a super Oven Controlled Crystal Oscillator (OCXO) option for enhanced holdover capabilities in case of GNSS disruption.

The TimeProvider 4100 Release 2.2 grandmaster is a family of products with hardware expansion modules for legacy fan-out or Ethernet fan-out with 10 Gigabit Ethernet support. It can be configured in specific operation modes to act either as a gateway clock, a high-performance boundary clock or an ePRTC.

The TimeProvider 4100 Release 2.2 grandmaster embeds additional Microchip technology including its OCXO, super OCXO, Rubidium atomic clock, Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), Ethernet switch, synthesizers, and cleaning oscillators.

The TimeProvider 4100 is part of Microchip’s virtual Primary Reference Time Clock (vPRTC) product portfolio, offering end-to-end precise time and synchronization solutions. These include Cesium atomic clocks for the source of frequency and time, the BlueSky GNSS Firewall for security, TimeProvider 4100 high-performance boundary clock and TimeProvider 4100 Gateway clocks, as well as the TimePictra software suite, which manages the end-to-end precise time architecture across all Microchip timing products.