‘Most advanced’ networking chip claimed
Cisco has launched what it says is the most advanced piece of networking silicon currently available. It adds the device – called the QuantumFlow processor – is the first integrated and programmable networking chipset.
According to Cisco, the device has taken more than five years to design and produce. It features 40 cores and can perform up to 160 simultaneous processes, targeting it at challenging network applications. The company also says the part is ‘several generations beyond what is currently available in network processors’.
More than 100 engineers were involved in the project, which has generated more than 40 patent submissions. Advancements in technology, design and expertise have enabled the team to increase the transistor density on the chip from 185million on the Silicon Packet Processor, which appeared in 2004, to more than 800m on the QuantumFlow processor.
