Microsemi Corporation, a leading provider of semiconductor solutions, and Tamba Networks, a leading developer of connectivity intellectual property (IP) cores, have announced their collaboration. Under this, Tamba Network’s Ethernet media access controller (MAC) will be incorporated to Microsemi’s cost-optimized, low-power PolarFire field programmable gate array (FPGA) to offer industry-leading low power FPGA-based 10G Ethernet solution.

 

Microsemi used the company’s Interlaken and 10G/40G Ethernet MAC soft cores as key building blocks to evaluate and enhance PolarFire FPGAs’ fabric architecture, with 10G and 40G data paths running at 160 MHz and 320 MHz. These cores offer extremely low gate count and latency, with high flexibility. When combined with Microsemi’s low power fabric and low power transceiver, Tamba Networks’ 10G Ethernet soft core lowers the power of a 10G data path by 50 percent. 

 

“One of the priorities in designing PolarFire FPGAs was to offer the lowest power, cost-optimized 10Gbe solution for our customers,” said Ted Speers, head of FPGA product architecture and planning at Microsemi. “Working with Tamba Networks provided us access not only to optimal encoding modules to integrate into the device, but also its small 10G Ethernet MAC optimized for frequency and easy-to-close timing at both 160 MHz and 320 MHz. While PolarFire FPGAs are ideal for multiple markets, the FPGA-based Ethernet solution is particularly suitable for demanding communications and defense applications.”

 

Microsemi’s PolarFire FPGAs are particularly beneficial to the access segment of the communications infrastructure market, where OEMs are working to deliver more bandwidth to customers while reducing capital and operational expenditures. These devices are the first non-volatile FPGAs providing more power and cost savings in comparison to SRAM FPGA solutions with 10G transceivers, advanced input/output (I/O), high security and digital signal processor (DSP) capabilities.

 

 

Microsemi Corporation offers a comprehensive portfolio of semiconductor and system solutions for aerospace & defense, communications, data center and industrial markets. Products include high-performance and radiation-hardened analog mixed-signal integrated circuits, FPGAs, SoCs and ASICs; power management products; timing and synchronization devices and precise time solutions, setting the world’s standard for time; voice processing devices; RF solutions; discrete components; enterprise storage and communication solutions, security technologies and scalable anti-tamper products; Ethernet solutions; Power-over-Ethernet ICs and midspans; as well as custom design capabilities and services.