Broadcom revealed a groundbreaking development for enterprise data centres- Broadcom Trident 4-X7 Ethernet switch ASIC. This 4.0 Terabits/second fully programmable switch is custom-made for Top of Rack (ToR) boxes, catering to their specific demands.
The Broadcom Trident 4-X7 signifies a major advancement in data centre networking technology. With native 400G support, it facilitates the smooth transition of next-gen spine/fabric technologies from cloud infrastructure to enterprise data centres. Compared to the current generation solution, this new device not only delivers greater performance and features but also remarkably cuts power per 100G port by more than half.
One of the key advantages of the Trident 4-X7 is its incorporation of hardware features tailored for analytics, diagnostics, and telemetry. This enables cloud customers to automate their data centre operations more effectively, leading to enhanced reliability and reduced operational costs.
Key Benefits of the Trident 4-X7 include: Doubles bandwidth, cuts power consumption by 50%, increases forwarding and policy scales, high-performance ToR, fully programmable, and offers investment protection for enterprise data centres.
Moreover, the switch’s fully programmable nature allows for seamless upgrades in the field to support new data centre requirements. This forward-thinking approach ensures that the Trident 4-X7 remains adaptable to future advancements, safeguarding enterprise investments for extended periods.
“Broadcom has made huge investments in addressing the needs of our cloud customers. We are also uniquely positioned to bring all of these cloud technologies into enterprise data centres. Enterprise customers can now take advantage of the same capabilities and innovations,” Ram Velaga, Broadcom’s senior vice president and general manager of Core Switching Group, said.
With the enterprise market poised for a major upgrade phase, as spine networks transition to 400G, the Trident 4-X7 promises to revolutionise the next generation of enterprise data centres. Its SerDes and port speeds provide ample support for the next wave of servers, particularly as artificial intelligence and machine learning workloads expand their presence in enterprise data centres. Additionally, the chip supports Enterprise SONiC and SAI, facilitating rapid and seamless integration into data centre operation networks.
