EZchip selects Marvell as NP-5 ASIC partner

YOKNEAM, ISRAEL: EZchip Semiconductor Ltd, a leader in Ethernet network processors, has selected Marvell to be the ASIC partner for its next generation network processor, the 200-Gigabit NP-5. This partnership follows a similar successful cooperation between the companies for EZchip’s NP-4 100-Gigabit network processor, which is currently in production.

The NP-5 is well ahead in its development cycle and EZchip’s leading tier-1 router vendors are planning to use the NP-5 as the follow-on to their NP-4 designs. The partnership with Marvell is expected to bring samples to the market at the end of 2012.

Carrier Ethernet edge routers are the primary market for high-speed network processors (NPUs), such as the NP-4 and NP-5. Five of the seven leading tier-1 router vendors are already using the NP-4 for their key edge routing platforms, making EZchip the leading vendor of high-speed merchant NPUs.

These customers are planning to migrate over time to the NP-5 when available, in order to maintain their technology edge and to benefit from improved performance with software backward compatibility provided when migrating from NP-4 to NP-5. Considering that NP-4 is only beginning its ramp up, and with the expected migration of key tier-1 vendors to the NP-5, EZchip is well positioned to maintain and further grow its market leadership for years to come.

“We are very pleased that our leading tier-1 customers have selected to continue the EZchip path,” said Eli Fruchter, EZchip’s CEO. “EZchip currently has a commanding position in the marketplace by providing our customers with significant time to market advantages. We believe that with the NP-5 we will further our market leadership. We will bring the NP-5 and its variants, similar to the NP-4 and its variants, to the market at the earliest possible time and allow our leading customers to continue to build on their success in the marketplace with EZchip.”