Vitesse Licenses Gigabit Ethernet IP Cores To Freescale

CAMARILLO, Calif.-- May 19, 2014 -- Vitesse Semiconductor Corporation (Nasdaq: VTSS), a leading provider of advanced IC solutions for Carrier, Enterprise and Internet of Things (IoT) networks, announced that Freescale® Semiconductor is using Vitesse's VSC9953-01 SparX™ Gigabit Ethernet switch IP core in Freescale's 28nm QorIQ® T1040 quad-core and T1020 dual-core communications processors, now sampling to customers. Targeted applications include gateway routers and industrial automation, as well as unified threat management (UTM) and network attached storage (NAS) networking. Together, Freescale's processor family and Vitesse's complementary portfolio of Ethernet switches, PHYs and software deliver carrier-grade Ethernet functionality for diverse mixed control and data plane applications.

"Freescale's QorIQ T1040/T1020 64-bit embedded communications processors are among the industry's first to integrate a Gigabit Ethernet switch," said Nikolay Guenov, director of product management for Freescale's Digital Networking group. "Vitesse's proven switch IP core and high-quality support enabled Freescale to quickly bring to market a highly integrated, scalable managed Ethernet solution with significant performance and system level design benefits."

"Gigabit Ethernet connectivity is becoming a de facto standard in various applications, such as storage, smart grid and other industrial uses," said Brian Jaroszewski, senior product marketing manager of IP licensing at Vitesse. "Licensing our IP cores to market leaders such as Freescale strategically aligns with Vitesse's goal to penetrate adjacent or similar markets. The fact that the IP core reliability and quality are directly validated in Vitesse's external switch IC chips minimizes our customers' integration risks and expedites their time to market with field-proven Gigabit Ethernet solutions."

Complementary Vitesse Portfolio For Expanded Ethernet Functionality

For network equipment needing additional Gigabit Ethernet ports beyond Freescale's T1040/T1020 basic configuration, Vitesse offers multiple compatible Ethernet switches, PHYs and software for diverse Carrier, Enterprise and IoT networking applications:

• Gigabit Ethernet PHYs: Vitesse offers pin-compatible options to the integrated PHYs in Freescale's platform, providing an easy upgrade to Synchronous Ethernet, highly accurate, multi-operator VeriTime™ IEEE 1588v2 timestamping and Intellisec™ IEEE 802.1AE MACsec security;
• Enterprise-class Ethernet switches: Leveraging Vitesse's SparX-III-18™ VSC7425 and SparX-III-26™ VSC7427, OEMs can configure the Freescale solution to deliver 12-, 16- and 24-port configurations with a common Layer 2 (L2) switch software stack, simplifying hardware and software design and increasing return on investment;
• Carrier Ethernet switch engines: Service-awareness and carrier-grade functionality are a simple upgrade with Vitesse's carrier-grade switch engine offering; and
• Managed Ethernet software stack: Beginning with Freescale's SDK v1.7, available in December 2014, customers will be able to run Vitesse's SMBStaX™ Linux, a full L2 managed Ethernet software switch stack, across the T1040/T1020 platforms. Vitesse's CEServices™ software is also available for use with its Carrier Ethernet switch engines.

About Vitesse

Vitesse (Nasdaq: VTSS) designs a diverse portfolio of high-performance semiconductor solutions for Carrier, Enterprise and IoT networks worldwide. Vitesse products enable the fastest-growing network infrastructure markets including Mobile Access/IP Edge, Cloud Computing, SMB/SME Enterprise and IoT Networking. Visit www.vitesse.com.