The Linley Group: Network Processor (NPU) Report

PDF (528 KB) This downloadable PDF contains the complete table of contents, list of figures, list of tables, preface, and executive summary.

NPUs have become a critical ingredient of carrier-equipment designs. These chips are appearing in new designs from leading OEMs spanning many applications from PON OLTs and Node Bs to Carrier-Ethernet switch/routers. This broad adoption has created a merchant market that reached $301 million in 2008, large enough to sustain multiple vendors. Yet many large vendors have abandoned the market, leaving excellent opportunities for more focused vendors.

Access infrastructure is migrating to Ethernet and IP backhaul while data rates for both wireline and wireless networks continue to climb. These factors are driving the need for new access NPUs that are more similar to metro-class NPUs. Meanwhile, metro-class NPUs are scaling to 40Gbps and beyond with100G Ethernet on the horizon. A "Guide to Network Processors" provides a single comprehensive report covering NPUs spanning data rates from 2Gbps to 100Gbps.

This report covers the vendors and products that address multiple markets using programmable designs including: Broadcom’s former Sandburst line, LSI’s APP (formerly Agere), Wintegra's WinPath, EZchip’s NPA and NP lines, Bay Microsystem’s Chesapeake, Netronome's NFP (Intel IXP derivative), and Xelerated's HX and AX lines. We also cover vendors of configurable or FPGA-based chips that compete with NPUs in some Carrier Ethernet designs, including Centec, Cswitch, Lightstorm, and Tpack.

Only The Linley Group follows this market closely enough to give you the complete picture. Which major vendors are in this business for the long haul? Which startups will survive and which will fail? How do the latest products stack up? "A Guide to Network Processors" is the result of years of research that cannot be duplicated. If you are interested in following this strategic standard-product segment, you have located the definitive source.

Get Facts, Not Fiction

This report cuts through the vendor hype and gives you solid information that you need to understand this market. "A Guide to Network Processors" analyzes each vendor and each product, probes their strengths and weaknesses, then presents key details in a consistent, easy to compare fashion. For those less familiar with this combination of networking and CPU design, the report includes several introductory chapters that define and describe basic concepts and key technologies.

The Linley Group is the most recognized and respected name for technology and market analysis of network processors. Don't be fooled by weak overviews written by market analysts who really don't understand how a network processor works. The "Guide" provides a unique combination of business and technology savvy from the leading analysts in this market. Bob Wheeler and Jag Bolaria use their long experience in the networking world to analyze these devices. Together, the two authors ignore the fiction and provide the real story on each NPU vendor and its products.

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This report is written for:

• Engineers who are designing carrier-networking equipment and need to select a network processor (NPU)
•Network architects at carriers and service providers who need to get up to speed on this technology
• Marketing and engineering staff at companies that sell NPU products or partner with NPU vendors
• Technology professionals who wish an introduction to carrier-networking and network processors
• Financial analysts who desire a detailed analysis and comparison of NPU companies and their chances of success
• Universities and research institutes that need a vendor-neutral introduction to this market and technology

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