Broadcom has begun sampling the industry’s first 64bit quad-core processor for high-end residential routers supporting smart home and Internet of Things applications.
The BCM4908 includes a 1.8GHz 64Bit quad-core ARM CPU and uses Broadcom’s Runner network packet processor to deliver more than 5 Gbps of system data throughput without taxing the CPU. It also supports the increased speeds coming into the home including Google Fiber and Comcast 2 Gbps via an interface for a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet PHY.
Key Features:
- Zero CPU Wi-Fi offload frees up CPU resources for other tasks
- BroadStream iQoS acceleration
- Dedicated security processor to enable hardware VPN acceleration
- 2.5Gb Base-X Ethernet WAN/LAN port for supporting fast connectivity to multi-gigabit modem or a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device
- Feature-rich connectivity with integrated SATA III, two USB 3.0 ports and three PCIe Gen 2 ports reduces external RBOM cost
- Utilizes low power 28nm technology and advanced power management, offering power reductions of more than 50 percent as compared to previous solutions
- Supports Broadcom’s tri-band (AC5300) 5G WiFi XStream 802.11ac MU-MIMO:
- Three BCM4366 4×4 radios, each with an integrated CPU for host offload processing
- Providing a total of seven CPU cores (“Septacore”) with more than 9.6 GHz of CPU horse power
- Powerful hardware acceleration for routing and USB storage
“With this new SoC, Broadcom is driving home network connectivity to the next level,” said Manny Patel, Broadcom Director of Marketing, Wireless Connectivity. “By increasing the CPU performance and adding advanced features, we’re enabling OEMs to build more powerful home routers that address the increased bandwidth requirements needed to support the continued consumption of high-bandwidth content, growing demand for UltraHD as well as the growing emergence of more IoT and smart home applications.”