Microchip introduces next-generation line of Ethernet switches

     Microchip Technology has announced the introduction of its next-generation LAN969x Ethernet switching chip. The series features time-sensitive networking (TSN), scalable bandwidth from 46 Gbps to 102 Gbps, and a powerful 1 GHz single-core Arm® Cortex®-A53 CPU.

     For applications requiring greater redundancy, the LAN969x series Ethernet switching chips can be configured with High Availability Seamless Redundancy (HSR) and Parallel Redundancy Protocol (PRP). HSR and PRP are hardware protocols that provide zero-loss redundancy in Ethernet networks. The LAN969x Ethernet switch supports multiple HSR and PRP redundant box (RedBox) instances, running in parallel and serial with Ethernet port speeds ranging from 10 Mbps to 10 Gbps.

     The LAN969x also provides QuadBox functionality to interconnect two HSR networks. This feature is particularly useful in applications where high reliability and zero downtime are required. Alternative solutions to QuadBox functionality often require multiple different components, increasing design complexity and system cost.

     Charles Forni, vice president of Microchip's USB and Networking business unit, said: "Before Microchip introduced the LAN969x Ethernet switching chip, customers who wanted to implement TSN and HSR/PRP capabilities needed multiple ics. The LAN969x is a single-chip solution that reduces the number of components and system-level costs. These devices also support our VSC6817SDK IStaX Linux® application package, which helps designers bring products to market quickly."

     The LAN969x Ethernet switching chip is highly configurable and can provide up to 30 ports. Ethernet ports support multiple interfaces, including RGMII, SGMII, QSGMII, USGMII, and USXGMII. The LAN969x series switches are especially suitable for security and security-critical applications that require high-end 10M/100M/1G/2.5G/10G switching links.

     The LAN969x series switching chips provide additional security features such as secure startup and secure firmware execution based on customer trust roots manufacturing processes. Security is achieved through ternary content-addressable memory (TCAM) -based frame processing using a multifunctional content-aware processor (VCAP), Arm trusted firmware methods for fast and secure boot, cryptographic libraries and hardware security accelerators for boot and code encryption, and one-time programmable immutable key storage.

     The new LAN969x mid-range Ethernet switching chip family further complicates Microchip's TSN switch portfolio. The SparX-5i series supports up to 64 ports and 200 Gbps of switching bandwidth, while the LAN9662 and LAN9668 support 4 to 8 ports and 4 to 11 Gbps of switching bandwidth.