Intel agreed to acquire Barefoot Networks, a start-up developing programmable Ethernet switch silicon and software for use in the data center. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Intel said the acquisition will support its focus on end-to-end cloud networking and infrastructure, enabling it to better compete in the Ethernet switching segment.
Barefoot, which is based in San Jose, California, is shipping the second generation of its P4-programmable Tofino Ethernet switch application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) family.
Tofino 2 delivers 12.8 Tbps of packet processing capacity for hyperscale data centers, cloud, enterprise and service provider networks. The device leverages 7nm process technology and is designed for full P4-programmability.
Tofino 2 highlights:
- World’s first 7nm switch ASIC
- Supports up 32x400GE on a single chip.
- Supports up to 256×10/25/50GE ports on a single chip.
- Fully P4-programmable, enabling various deployment options, from a standard top-of-rack switch to a service provider router, or even a feature-rich switch appliance.
- Support for extra large table sizes for routing, tunnels, and access control lists (ACLs).
- Support for Barefoot SPRINT- Barefoot’s enhanced version of the industry-standard In-band Network Telemetry (INT), providing fine-grained per-packet intelligent real-time visibility of network traffic.
- Leverages the growing industry-wide P4 Ecosystem supported by multiple switch and network interface controller (NIC) chips.
- Modular architecture enabling rapid integration of 112G SerDes and silicon photonics.
Tofino 2 was announced in December 2018. Customers cited in the Barefoot press release include Goldman Sachs, Cisco, Alibaba Infrastructure Services, Tencent, Baidu, JD Cloud, and Ucloud. Barefoot has also announced design wins with Arista, Edgecore and others.
https://www.barefootnetworks.com/
https://newsroom.intel.com/editorials/intel-acquire-barefoot-networks/#gs.i7cnfy
Founded in 2013, Barefoot is backed by investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Sequoia Capital. The company has raised approximately $155 million in five funding rounds, most recently raising $23 million in November 2016 in a round led by Alibaba and Tencent.
