Vitesse simplifies low power serial connectivity in 10 GE and PCIe Gen 3 data centers

CAMARILLO, USA: Vitesse Semiconductor Corp., a leading provider of advanced IC solutions for Carrier and Enterprise networks, announced the availability of the VSC7111, an 11.5-Gbps quad-channel signal conditioner.

The device sets a benchmark power/performance level and ease-of-use for next-generation data center and network design deploying protocols such as 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GE) and PCIe Gen 3.

According to IDC, about half of a data center’s budget is used for power and cooling of its networking equipment. In addition, equipment and link aggregation in data centers is escalating power dissipation to ever higher levels. This creates a huge burden on its cost-of-ownership and reliability. The VSC7111 lowers 10G power dissipation levels by 35% over best-in-class solutions. Additional energy efficiency at 5G and lower data rates can be achieved by utilizing Vitesse’s unique Green Mode power management technology.

The VSC7111 is amongst the first solutions to support the new PCIe Gen 3 8G protocol for the server market. With an integrated PCIe receiver detect state machine the VSC7111 also maintains compatibility with earlier Gen 1 and Gen 2 protocols so that legacy systems become automatically future proof. Vitesse recently completed interoperability testing with Agilent Technologies to ensure full compatibility with all PCIe protocols.

“Agilent provides PCI Express 3.0 tools with the flexibility to test and debug all aspects of our customer’s devices,” said Ross Nelson, general manager of Digital Debug Solutions at Agilent Technologies. “In this case, our PCI Express Exerciser, with its configurable Transmitter settings, allowed us to demonstrate that the VSC7111 from Vitesse, with its FlexEQ ™ adaptive equalizer, was able to successfully maintain the PCI Express Gen 3 link even under stressful conditions simulated by Agilent’s tester.”

The VSC7111 offers adaptive signal equalization capabilities for transmitting multi-gigabit data signals across printed circuit boards, through backplane connectors, and over copper cabling used in networking and storage systems. It is the latest in Vitesse’s industry-leading portfolio of signal conditioner IC products to feature FlexEQ adaptive equalization technology, which advances high-speed, signal integrity performance.

By automatically compensating for signal loss characteristics, FlexEQ facilitates high speed interconnect design and improves system performance by making data links more stable and predictable in their behavior. The VSC7111 also offers flexible, easy-to-use operation with predefined modes for signal fanout and signal protection without the need for an external controller.

“Vitesse continues to innovate and lead the industry in addressing customer needs in signal integrity solutions,” said Juan Garza, product marketing manager at Vitesse.

“The VSC7111 is the latest example of our commitment to developing solutions that combine high performance, low power, maximum flexibility, and ease-of-use. In addition, the PCIe Gen 3 interoperability work with Agilent ensures pre-validated, backward compatible solutions to system developers to easily facilitate next-generation data center equipment development without forklift upgrades.”

The VSC7111 operates on a single 2.5V supply with a typical power dissipation of 476mW in low power Green Mode and is available in an ultra-compact 5mm x 5mm, 32-pin, QFN package. Samples are available now and volume pricing is available upon request.