NetLogic Microsystems Announces Production Shipments of the NL91024 Processor, the Second Member of Its “Hybri

NetLogic Microsystems Announces Production Shipments of the NL91024 Processor, the Second Member of Its “Hybrid” Knowledge-based Processor Family

The NL91024 is the second device in NetLogic Microsystems’ fifth-generation knowledge-based processor family, which features the world’s first “hybrid” knowledge-based processor architecture that converges high-performance knowledge-based processing and superior low-power efficiency of algorithmic Sahasra technology.

Mountain View, Calif. – July 21, 2008 – NetLogic Microsystems, Inc. [NASDAQ: NETL], the leader in the design and development of knowledge-based processors and high-speed integrated circuits, today announced production shipments of its NL91024 knowledge-based processor as part of its fifth-generation knowledge-based processor family. The NL91024 processor is a fully-programmable “hybrid” knowledge-based processor that features the convergence of high-performance, massively parallel knowledge-based processing with the superior low-power efficiency and flexibility of algorithmic Sahasra technology to dramatically reduce power consumption while delivering best-in-class performance and functionality for next-generation IPTV and advanced mobile wireless networks.

NetLogic Microsystems’ NL91024 knowledge-based processor integrates 128 high-performance knowledge-based processing engines, which is double that of the previously announced NL9512 device. In addition, the NL91024 processor features an enhanced Intelligent Load Balancing Engine (ILBE) to efficiently allocate multiple tasks and communicate among all the 128 knowledge-based processing engines. The knowledge-based processing engines and ILBE are tightly coupled with integrated advanced Sahasra Algorithmic Engines (SAEs) to dramatically lower the power consumption of search processing in the NL91024 “hybrid” knowledge-based processor.

The enhancements in the NL91024 processor deliver a dramatic increase in processing power and up to 5X lower power consumption compared to competing solutions. This enables customers to develop next-generation IPv6 systems that offer significantly higher performance while meeting increasingly stringent power requirements of telecom and datacenter applications.

All members of the NL9000 “hybrid” knowledge-based processor family also integrate an innovative Range Encoding Engine (REE) and a fifth-generation I/O design. The REE employs advanced one-hot and fence encoding algorithms to implement range encoding that allows customers to effectively double the efficiency of performing port range inspection. The fifth-generation I/O delivers 64Gbps of raw chip-to-chip interconnect bandwidth, which is 60% greater than previous generations of knowledge-based processors. When coupled with the ILBE, customers can achieve up to 100Gbps of effective bandwidth, allowing the NL91024 processor to support the most performance-demanding switching and routing applications currently in design.

The rapid proliferation of advanced mobile devices such as video phones, portable media players, mobile gaming devices and Internet Protocol (IP)-enabled global positioning systems (GPS) has accelerated the global industry migration from IPv4 to IPv6 networks. This transition is driving the need for knowledge-based processors with significantly higher performance, higher interface (I/O) bandwidth, enhanced flexibility, expanded set of new features and dramatically lower power consumption.

“We’re pleased to go to production with our second fifth-generation hybrid knowledge-based processor family,” said Chris O’Reilly, vice president of marketing at NetLogic Microsystems. “Our clear technology leadership with the NL91024 enables us to provide the most advanced solution for an essential part of wirespeed processing in the most demanding next generation designs for enterprise networking, cable, wireline and wireless infrastructure. As virtually all of our key existing and new customers rapidly move to 40Gbps and now 100Gbps dataplane designs, the unique performance, functionality and low power of our NL9000 product family is becoming an increasingly important component in these new system designs. The NL91024 facilitates the required order-of-magnitude jump in bandwidth while also supporting the addition of numerous new features, such as advanced quality-of-service and access-control security needed for triple-play and quad-play applications.”

The NL91024 knowledge-based processor is available now in production quantities and will ship this year to numerous Tier One OEMs for use in advanced next-generation switch and router products for triple-play and quad-play applications in networking, wireline and wireless communications infrastructure.