Multicore comms processors offer ‘unparalleled scalability’

The XLP II family is designed for next generation LTE mobile infrastructure, data centre, enterprise networking, storage and security applications. According to NetLogic, the devices are based on 28nm process technology and deliver up to seven times the performance of current XLP processors. The range is designed to deliver more than 100Gb/s of network processing performance per device and more than 800Gb/s in a clustered system. NetLogic claims the performance is beyond anything currently available in the market. The new range integrates up to 80 NXCPUs per chip, featuring an enhanced quad issue, quad threaded, superscalar out of order processor architecture, capable of operating at up to 2.5GHz. The processor cores include advancements designed to improve pre-fetch performance, branch mis-predict and cache access latencies. According to NetLogic, the range 'significantly' expands the tri-level cache architecture to more than 32MB of on chip cache – representing more than 260MB of on chip cache in the maximum clustered configuration of eight fully coherent XLP II processors. A new feature enables users to design systems using eight sockets of XLP II processors to achieve scalability of up to 640 NXPUs. A high speed interchip coherency interface enables full processor and memory coherency across all 60 NXCPUs, allowing software applications to run in symmetric multiprocessing or asymmetric multiprocessing. According to NetLogic, this scalability is unmatched in the industry. "We believe our highly differentiated XLP II processor is a true game changer that will give us a significant competitive advantage in the communications infrastructure market," said Ron Jankov, president and chief executive officer at NetLogic Microsystems. "The XLP II multicore processor family is the result of our intensive R&D development in the advanced 28nm process over the past 24 months and our uniquely close partnership with TSMC." The first devices in the XLP II processor range will be available in the first quarter of 2012.