MUSIC Semiconductors Launches Packet Search Coprocessors with Industry's Broadest Choice of Ternary CAM: 9.0M, 4.5M, 2.0M and 1.0M.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

MILPITAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 30, 2001

New Chorus(TM) Chip Family Adds High Performance to PEP(TM)

Architecture for Next-Generation Routers and Switches

MUSIC Semiconductors, Inc. today launched its new Chorus(TM) family of high-performance packet search coprocessors, led by a 9M chip which packs 9.4 million ternary data elements of content addressable memory (CAM) in a single device. As the latest additions to MUSIC's PEP(TM) (Packet Express Pipeline) architecture, these new ASSPs (application specific standard products) accelerate the packet search process and boost the overall performance of next-generation routers and switches.

The Chorus family uses MUSIC's proprietary Active Memory(TM) technology to deliver the highest packet processing performance at the lowest power, while giving designers the greatest flexibility to achieve competitive differentiation. Moving a step beyond CAM, Active Memory technology interleaves memory with proprietary logic to give MUSIC devices functionality and performance unmatched by solutions using SRAM, DRAM or conventional CAM.

"We've listened carefully to network equipment designers seeking a high-performance, low-power packet search engine with deep tables and the architectural flexibility to enable differentiation," said Dave Feldmeier, MUSIC's chief technical officer. "Our Chorus chip has significantly raised the bar for this type of device."

The Chorus family chips are high-performance search engines for packet header processing at all layers, with rates of over 100 million searches per second, and up to three operations per clock cycle. The MUAE64K144 9M chip contains 9.4 million ternary data elements in a single device, more than any other high-performance search engine. For lower density requirements, the Chorus MUAE32K144 chip offers comparable performance in a 4.5M device that contains 4.7 million ternary data elements. With both Chorus chips, up to 64 devices can be cascaded to store up to 604 million ternary data elements, with no loss of performance.

The Chorus family supports multiple lookup tables of different widths in a single device. Searches of 36 bits and 144 bits take a single clock cycle, and wider lookup can be performed using multiple clock cycles.

With circuitry designed especially to minimize power dissipation, the Chorus packet search coprocessors represent the highest performance, lowest power devices in their class. At 66 MHz, the maximum power required is less than 11 Watts for the MUAE64K144, and less than 7 Watts for the MUAE32K144. Devices based on conventional CAM technology require almost twice as much power.

Harmony(TM) Packet Search Coprocessors

For applications not requiring the bit density of the Chorus family, MUSIC offers its Harmony(TM) family of packet search coprocessors that also perform over 100 million searches per second. The Harmony MUAD16K136 chip is a 2M CAM device with 2.2 million ternary data elements, and the MUAD8K136 is a 1M CAM device with 1.1 million ternary data elements.

Offering designers a range of performance and flexibility, the Chorus and Harmony coprocessors can manage search operations for low-end to very high-end applications. By using these high-performance ASSPs for packet search, designers can minimize the time it takes to design, test and produce an ASIC to

manage the packet search process, thereby speeding their products' time to market.

MUSIC's PEP Architecture

MUSIC's proprietary PEP architecture consists of a series of ASSP building blocks that streamline packet processing in Ethernet and ATM devices with wire speeds of up to 40 Gigabits per second. As part of the PEP architecture, the Chorus coprocessor family works seamlessly with the company's other PEP chipset solutions, including the recently announced Alto(TM) family of packet schedulers. MUSIC's Alto MUPA64K16 chip can schedule 65,536 queues across as many as 16 physical ports, performing each operation in no more than 150 nanoseconds, and supports a variety of scheduling algorithms.

With MUSIC's PEP architecture, designers can use any combination of individual function chips for packet filtering, sorting, scheduling or searching -- or they can use the complete chipset. Designers can differentiate their product offerings by programming their proprietary technologies into any of the PEP chips.

All of MUSIC's PEP architecture chips can be used with network processors or off-the-shelf RISC processors. Whether used individually or together, these chip solutions not only speed packet processing, but also offload the network processor to perform other tasks, thereby adding another boost to overall system performance.

Price and Availability

Priced at $275 in 1K quantities, the Chorus 9M MUAE64K144 packet search coprocessor will sample in the third quarter of this year. The 4.5M version, priced at $160, will also sample in the third quarter. The 2M 66-MHz Harmony MUAD16K136 device is priced at $75 in 1K quantities and will sample in the second quarter of this year. The 1M 66-MHz version, priced at $50, will sample in the third quarter. The Harmony family will also be available in 83-MHz and 100-MHz versions.

MUSIC Semiconductors

MUSIC Semiconductors Inc. is a leading provider of advanced network chip solutions that accelerate crucial packet processing functions within routers and switches. The Company's proprietary PEP architecture, combined with its broad portfolio of ASSPs, enables OEMs to substantially improve overall network performance while speeding time to market. Backed by an expert team of network applications engineers, MUSIC's ASSP portfolio includes chip solutions that integrate advanced CAM with embedded microsequencer functions to streamline network equipment design. Major providers such as Cisco Systems and Nortel Networks have designed MUSIC's technology into land-based and wireless networking products. MUSIC Semiconductors is a privately held U.S. company that is majority owned by MUSIC Corporation, a publicly held holding company (PSE:MUSX) based in the Philippines.

For more information on MUSIC Semiconductors, visit www.MUSICsemi.com.

Note to Editors: See MUSIC Semiconductors' PEP architecture chips at NetWorld+Interop 2001 (May 6-11, Las Vegas Convention Center) in exhibit booth no. 8365, and in MUSIC's VIP hospitality suite at the MGM Grand Hotel.