SCIENCE

Atheros Communications has expanded its popular ETHOS portfolio of Ethernet solutions with the industry's lowest power physical layer transceivers (PHYs) and switches for networking, computing, consumer electronics (CE) and carrier applications. By supporting the newly ratified IEEE802.3az-2010 Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE) standard, Atheros' latest solutions reduce their power consumption by up to 80 percent. Atheros' PHYs and switches also employ a variety of innovative techniques that further reduce their power consumption in various applications and network environments. The unmatched efficiency and advanced features of Atheros' new ETHOS solutions can give customers a competitive edge when designing products for energy-conscious consumers and businesses.

Key Facts:

--  As consumers and businesses strive to reduce their energy costs and environmental impact, networking and CE vendors are making their products more energy efficient. Reducing the power of always-on connected devices can make a big impact on energy usage.

--  Atheros is introducing a new family of ETHOS switches and PHYs, which provide high-performance Ethernet capabilities with the industry's lowest power consumption for PCs, networking products (such as broadband gateways, Wi-Fi routers and printers), consumer media   devices (including TVs, set top boxes and Blu-ray Disc(TM) players) and carrier access equipment (such as gateways, passive optical networking (PON) products and cellular base stations).

--  All of Atheros' latest-generation PHY, switch and LAN-on-motherboard (LOM) solutions comply with the newly ratified IEEE 802.3az-2010 standard, a major advancement that makes Ethernet networks up to 80 percent more power efficient. Even though the efficiency benefits are    greatest for Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) networks, Atheros now implements 802.3az protocols across its line of Fast Ethernet solutions as well.

--  ETHOS PHYs and switches further reduce power consumption with several other unique features, including:

    --  Atheros SmartEEE technology -- improves energy efficiency in systems using legacy MAC devices without 802.3az features, enabling customers to fully realize the energy benefits of the new standard by simply replacing the PHY devices in their designs;

    --  Wake on LAN -- a power-saving technique used in network devices that turns components off during periods of network inactivity, and turns them back on when data needs to be transmitted; and

    --  Automatic ultra-low power modes when the transmission link is down, or when a shorter Ethernet cable is being used.

--  Atheros' PHYs and switches are among the smallest and most cost-effective solutions available. By integrating a dozen external components per PHY port (including resistors, clocks and a switching regulator), the new ETHOS solutions offer the industry's lowest bill-of-material (BOM) cost. The highly integrated packages also provide a 40 percent smaller footprint and a lower pin-count than competitive solutions.

Product Details: New ETHOS Single-Port PHY Solutions:

--  The AR8030 Fast Ethernet PHY and AR8035 GbE PHY are designed to streamline the transition to Gigabit connectivity for consumer applications. The two PHYs can be used interchangeably in a single PCB design, providing OEMs with a quick and cost-effective way to deliver a range of products with varied performance levels and price points.

--  The AR8031 and AR8033 GbE PHYs are optimized with the advanced features that are critical for next-generation carrier networks. These features include:

    --  Synchronous Ethernet (Sync-E) -- a cost-effective clock distribution feature that synchronizes the timing of IP networks to support time-sensitive voice and video applications;

    --  Precision Timing Protocol (IEEE 1588v2) -- quickly synchronizes networked clocks to maintain high-quality links as data is transferred across 3G/4G systems (supported in the AR8031 only); and

    --  Copper/Fiber Dual-Mode -- provides carriers with flexible options for supporting next-generation services over copper and optical links.

New ETHOS 7-Port Gigabit Switches:

--  The AR8327/AR8328 family of Gigabit Switches is available in a variety of package and processor configurations, enabling customers to implement the right mix of features. Key options include:

    --  Network Address Translation (NAT) -- By offloading address translation from the processor, the Atheros switch can reduce latency and power consumption while ensuring full Gigabit line        speed.

    --  Flexible VLAN translation and 1:1 & N:1 VLAN mapping to support advanced services defined by the Broadband Forum and Metro Ethernet Forum

    --  20mmx20mm QFP or 12mmx12mm QFN packages -- The larger option supports all seven host interfaces (including fiber and SGMII), while the smaller provides a more cost-effective solution with fewer interfaces.

Availability:

--  The AR8030/AR8031/AR8033/AR8035 PHYs and AR8327/AR8328 Gbe switches are now sampling, and are expected to be in volume production in the first quarter of 2011.

--  Atheros is demonstrating its latest ETHOS solutions at Broadband World Forum Europe, October 26-29 in Paris, France.

Supporting Quote: George Chu, vice president and general manager of Atheros' Ethernet Business Unit "Atheros continues to lead the Ethernet market by delivering the most energy efficient solutions with the advanced features that matter to our customers. At every step in the design process, the ETHOS engineering team pushes the limits of power consumption while optimizing the performance of our solutions, which provides significant benefits for consumer electronics, networking and carrier equipment."