NetLogic announces comprehensive XLP multi-core processor hardware and software development kit

SANTA CLARA, USA: NetLogic Microsystems Inc. announced the availability of the XLP Multi-Core Processor Development Kit that includes comprehensive hardware and software tools, libraries, drivers and reference solutions to help accelerate time-to-market and reduce development effort for Tier One original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) who are developing next-generation systems using the industry-leading XLP multi-core, multi-threaded processor.

NetLogic Microsystems’ best-in-class XLP processor family is the first and only embedded communications processor that features quad-issue, quad-threaded and superscalar out-of-order capabilities with up to 128 NXCPUs™ operating at 2.0GHz. The XLP multi-core processor was recently rated “an exceptional CPU” which delivers “two to four times the performance of competing CPUs” by the Microprocessor Report.

NetLogic Microsystems’ production-ready XLP Multi-Core Processor Development Kit integrates everything needed to create and deploy control- and data-plane applications for product developers to quickly and easily design, test and debug next-generation network infrastructure systems, while leveraging the superior and highly differentiated features and compute power of the XLP multi-core processors.

Using the XLP Multi-Core Development Kit unleashes the massive performance and throughput benefits of NetLogic Microsystems’ XLP processors, and helps customers enhance product differentiation, reduce time-to-market and lower development risks.

The XLP Multi-Core Processor Development Kit includes:
* Production-ready development board.
* Reference schematics, models and guidelines to enable rapid hardware development.
* Board design and layout guidelines and reference Allegro layout files.
* Programmer’s reference manual and datasheets.
* Full board support package, including Linux 2.6 64-bit operating system and NetOS data plane environment.
* Full tool chain and debug environment.
* Bootloader/BSP and diagnostics.
* Libraries for accelerating compression/decompression, encryption/decryption, packet ordering, and support of the extensive I/O functions of the processor.
* Rich set of software for demonstrating and evaluation as well as sample code to ease the process application development.
* Options for high-speed connectivity, including Interlaken, XAUI, and SGMII, including a highly optimized interface to NetLogic Microsystems’ industry-leading knowledge-based processors.

“We are pleased to deliver a comprehensive hardware and software development kit that allows our customers to quickly go to market with our breakthrough XLP multi-core processor,” said Chris O’Reilly, vice president of marketing at NetLogic Microsystems. “The combination of the industry’s most advanced and highly differentiated multi-core processor along with a turnkey development kit gives us a strong leadership position in high-end multi-core communications processing well ahead of our competition.”

The industry-leading XLP multi-core, multi-threaded processor family integrates up to 128 NXCPUs that operate at up to 2.0 GHz and are based on a highly innovative superscalar engine with out-of-order execution capabilities to deliver unparalleled data plane and control plane performance, as well as the ability to support billions of in-flight messages and packet descriptors.

The XLP cores are quad-threaded to effectively minimize bottlenecks and memory latencies that are inherent in network data plane processing applications. Furthermore, the 128 NXCPUs are equipped with a tri-level cache architecture with over 50 Mbytes of fully coherent on-chip cache which delivers 160 Terabits/sec of extremely high-speed on-chip memory bandwidth.

The XLP processor also includes over 160 fully-autonomous programmable processing engines that provide independent and complete offload of additional network functions, including IPSec/SSL security encryption/decryption/authentication, packet parsing, packet queuing, packet management, compression/decompression, packet ordering, storage de-duplication, RAID5/RAID6, TCP segmentation and IEEE1588 hardware time stamping.

The XLP processor is designed on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.'s (TSMC) high performance 40nm process, providing for the smallest die size, highest clocking speeds and industry-leading power profile.