Marvell Launches First CarrierSpan-Powered Multilayer Ethernet Switches

Switching and Gigahertz-Embedded Processors Enable Volume Deployment of Metro Ethernet and Enterprise Edge Applications

Santa Clara, California (April 2008) — Marvell (NASDAQ: MRVL), a leader in storage, communications and consumer silicon solutions, today announced the availability of its new converged switching system-on-chip (SoC) products, the Prestera® 98DX2100 and 98DX4100, powered by Marvell® CarrierSpan™ technology. Tailored for the fast growing Ethernet-centric broadband access and intelligent services-enabled Enterprise Edge markets, the new family of SoCs integrate a high-performance, low-power service processor to provide carrier-grade availability.

“With these new devices, we are able to combine a high-speed embedded processor with a unique low-power design to create a scalable, unified switching architecture for our customers,” said Dr. Simon Milner, vice president and general manager, enterprise business unit, communications and consumer business group at Marvell. “By enabling volume deployment of broadband-based Ethernet services under CarrierSpan technology, we believe we can help reduce customer operating expenses and accelerate time to market.”

Marvell’s new 98DX2100 and 98DX4100 family of processors is targeted for the various flavors of high-speed broadband access including PON, VDSL and native Ethernet, by including versatile sets of programmable interfaces. To support future scalability, the devices integrate four resilient FlexUplink ports programmed for any speed to support network upgrades from 1G to 2.5G to 10G. To minimize power dissipation and save on overall system cost, the integrated service processor has a built-in controller for high-speed 800M DDR2 memory and low-cost NAND flash.

The unique accomplishment of the 98DX2100 and 98DX4100 is that each offers customers a unified architecture both for FE and GE platforms, and mid-range and high-end Metro Access Solutions.
Pricing and Availability

The Marvell 98DX2100 and 98DX4100 series of devices are currently sampling. Pricing is available upon request.