Corrent Breaks Network Performance Barriers With Family of Optical Internet Security Chips.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 9, 2001

Packet Armor(TM) and Socket Armor(TM) families of processors secure

public and private networks at gigabit and above data rates while

off-loading network processor and easing system integration

Corrent Corp., a semiconductor start-up company founded by a group of leading visionaries in the Internet security field, Monday introduced its first family of high-performance Internet security processors at the annual RSA e-security conference (Moscone Center, Booth No. 131).

Based on a new patent-pending architecture, Corrent's silicon solutions are designed specifically to scale in performance with the capacity to encrypt and decrypt up to 10 million packets per second to secure the exchange of electronic information within both public and private Internet Protocol (IP) networks.

As both businesses and consumers continue to completely depend on the Internet as an every day tool of survival, the need for security is becoming an increasingly critical requirement.

Corrent's unique line of products are designed specifically for the high performance IP data security market. Complete with reference designs, extensive software and hardware development kits, Corrent's Packet Armor(TM) and Socket Armor(TM) families include devices that cover both IPSec and SSL, the two dominant standard security schemes of the Internet.

IPSec is used to secure transmissions used in VPNs to connect remote campuses and users with a corporation's Intranet or for supply chain Extranet services both in procurement and manufacturing capacity. SSL is incorporated within Internet browsers to secure electronic transactions among businesses and consumers.

Corrent's architecture reduces the burden imposed by the current generation of security solutions. This is achieved by offloading the system processor of all security-related processing while maintaining optical data rates. Providing this network transparency to system developers results in higher data throughput and greatly simplifies network system design.

"Corrent's chips are modular and scaleable to keep pace with the insatiable bandwidth appetite of businesses and consumers who rely on the Internet," said Richard Takahashi, president and chief executive officer of Corrent Corp. "Our team of seasoned professionals has over 100 combined years of experience in designing, marketing and producing government and commercial security chips for the data security market.

"We are leveraging that experience to redefine network-based security solutions in order to break the performance bottlenecks associated with today's software security solutions and re-purposed silicon.

"Our security processor delivers maximum network transparency by alleviating the processing burden associated with delivery IPSec and SSL at gigabit and above speeds. Today it's gigabit data rates, tomorrow we will achieve it at speeds of OC-48 and OC-192."

Corrent's customer base consists of original-equipment manufacturers building customer-premise, access-edge, core, content-edge and gateway systems requiring optical speed security performance.

With the ability to encrypt and authenticate data transmissions at fiber optic speeds, service providers can offer managed virtual private network (VPN) services, multinational enterprises can extend their Intranet to remote facilities and suppliers, and data farms and Web-hosting businesses can significantly increase the number of secure transactions they support.

"The growing use of fiber in networks and VPNs is going to drive the need for security and encryption technologies as more data flows across the pipes -- even up to the edge," said Bob Merritt of Semico Research Group. "In VPNs the big two bottlenecks are going to be the encryption side and the packet classification side."

Product Overview

Corrent has taken a modular approach in the development of its new families of security processors. At the heart of Corrent's security processors are highly specialized "micro-engines" that can be configured to precisely address specific security applications.

For SSL applications, Corrent's Socket Armor family includes a device that integrates Corrent's high-performance streaming encryption engine and its high-performance modulo engine for speeds of OC-3 to 1Gbps.

Corrent also offers a stand-alone version of the modulo engine, which is capable of generating over 5,000 1024 bit RSA - keys/sec, providing customers with the ability to support more than 10 times the number of simultaneous secure Web sessions available today. The device is cascadable to significantly increase the total number of keys generated within a system if more key generation is needed.

The Packet Armor family includes a single chip, high-performance streaming encryption device for OC-48c full duplex and OC-192 half duplex security applications providing full support for the IPSec standard.

The family also offers an integrated single chip that combines Corrent's high-performance streaming encryption engine with its high-performance modulo engine and a targeted IPSec packet-processing engine for OC-3 to 1Gbps applications.

Each processor core is wrapped within a flexible I/O interface that allows for easy expansion and modification. Corrent's processors are compatible with today's PCI, PL3 and PL4 I/O standards and provide designers with a seamless migration to InfiniBand, CSIX, XGMII and other emerging standard interfaces.

Pricing and Availability

Pricing for Corrent's Packet Armor and Socket Armor security processors range from U.S. $250 to $350 each in quantities of 1K or more. The devices are housed in Amkor's low power, laminate-based, cavity-down Super BGA(R) (super ball grid array) package, which Corrent selected for its low profile (1.4mm mounted height) and excellent thermal performance characteristics.

The processors will be available for sampling in the fourth quarter of this year, with production parts expected in the first quarter of 2002.

About Corrent Corp.

Corrent Corp. is a semiconductor company focused on providing network system designers with the highest quality security chips at fiber optic speeds.

Corrent's Internet data security and acceleration processors are based on an advanced architecture optimized for maximum network transparency that eliminates traditional processing bottlenecks associated with the secure exchange of IP data through virtual private networks (VPNs) and business-to-business transactions.

Unlike traditionally architected software and hardware solutions, Corrent's security chips provide greater speed, scalability and compatibility with the industry's evolving fiber-optic security standards. For more information visit: http://www.corrent.com.