Intel Delivers New Higher Performance Network Processor

Intel First to Volume Production of High-Performance, Highly Programmable Network Processors; Company Also Announces World-Class Developer Tools

SANTA CLARA, Calif., May 1, 2000 - Intel Corporation today announced production of a new, higher performance member of its IXP1200 Network Processor product line capable of processing three million packets of data per second. Intel is the first company to deliver high-performance, highly programmable network processors in volume quantities.

More than 25 network equipment manufacturers have chosen the IXP1200 Network Processor for a range of applications, including multiservice switches and routers, access platforms and virtual private networking (VPN) systems.

The IXP1200 is the flagship product in the Intel® Internet Exchange™ (IX) architecture, a framework for designing powerful and flexible networking and telecommunications equipment using reprogrammable silicon. The IX architecture allows systems designers to add network functionality quickly and cost effectively.

"Making these new IXP1200 Network Processors available to our customers in production volumes gives them a distinct time to market advantage over their competitors," said Tom Franz, vice president and general manager of Intel's Network Processor Group. "The combination of high performance, low power consumption and competitive pricing makes the IXP1200 a valuable tool for building next generation networking and telecommunications equipment."

The ease with which the IXP1200 Network Processor can be programmed enables networking and telecommunications vendors to differentiate their products via software, which helps reduce development costs, speeds time-to-market and extends the life of the equipment. This programmability allows new features to be added with software upgrades instead of the traditional 12-18 month development cycle required for new custom hardware upgrades.

Intel is now shipping two hardware and software compatible versions of the IXP1200 Network Processor. The first, announced in September, is capable of processing 2.5 million packets of data per second and operates at 166 MHz. The newest network processor from Intel can process three million packets of data per second and operates at 200 MHz, which provides more headroom for designing in differentiated, value added services such as advanced traffic shaping and quality of service (QoS). Multiple IXP1200 Network Processors can be used together to create terabit-class performance.

Both of the IXP1200 Network Processors are highly integrated devices that include six microengines optimized for network processing functions. These microengines employ a multithreaded architecture that enables them to efficiently process multiple data packets resulting in higher throughput without raising the cost or increasing the power consumption of the chip. An Intel StrongARM* core is also integrated on the chip for control and management functions. These low-power technologies allow both chips to dissipate less than five watts of power.

Intel is also making available a comprehensive set of developer tools that IXP1200 Network Processor customers can use to quickly build custom network processor-based applications and value-added features. These tools include the IXP12DE Network Processor Development Environment and the IXP12EB Ethernet Evaluation Kit. The IXP12DE provides an integrated, easy-to-use workbench for efficient application development. A user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI) simplifies writing, assembling and optimizing microcode and facilitates the task of building, simulating and debugging new custom applications built on the IXP1200 Network Processor. The IXP12EB is an evaluation kit that includes a PCI board with eight 10/100 Mbps ports and two Gigabit ports; a passive PCI back-plane and an Ethernet network adapter that enables the system's host processor to communicate efficiently with the IXP1200 Network Processor.

Pricing and Availability
Pricing of the 166 MHz version of the IXP1200 Network Processor begins at $200 in single unit quantities. The 200 MHz version is priced at $300 in the same volumes. Both parts are currently available.

The IXP12DE Network Development Environment is available free of charge to qualified developers. The IXP12EB Network Processor Ethernet Evaluation Kit is priced at $5,500. Both are also available now.

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