NetLogic Microsystems Collaborates With Xilinx to Offer Reference Design Interface That Speeds Networking Equipment Time-to-Market.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 9, 2000

Highly Modular Interface Combines Xilinx Virtex(TM)-E FPGA With

NetLogic Network Co-Processors and Search Engines

NetLogic Microsystems, Inc., the leader in network search engine technology, today announced a collaboration with Xilinx, Inc. (Nasdaq:XLNX), the leading supplier of programmable logic solutions, to offer reference designs incorporating the Xilinx Virtex(TM)-E FPGA family to NetLogic's high-performance network co-processors and search engines. These flexible networking solutions enable network equipment manufacturers to simplify router and switch designs, and significantly reduce their in-house interface development.

These solutions offer a modular architecture to increase design flexibility for the highest performance for specific networking applications, such as Classless Inter-domain Routing (CIDR), Virtual Private Networking (VPN), and Internet security. These designs are used especially to address the critical needs of Layer 2, 3, and 4 routing applications involving fast packet classification and forwarding capability.

Luminous Networks, a progressive optical networking company in California's Silicon Valley, is one of the networking equipment manufacturers currently using the new NetLogic Microsystems/Xilinx reference design.

"At Luminous Networks, we were looking for a fast, flexible silicon design solution that would integrate easily with our network processors," said Tricia Hill, vice president of engineering at Luminous. "The NetLogic interface RTL code combined with the Xilinx device streamlined our router design process and provided excellent performance for our PacketWave(TM) intelligent optical MAN solution. It allowed us to skip the expensive and time-consuming chore of custom interface software development and to achieve first-to-market advantage."

The new reference designs' highly modular interface is implemented in a Xilinx Virtex-E FPGA device and allows multiple network processors and/or microprocessors to offload complex and computationally-intensive table searching tasks to NetLogic's advanced network co-processors and network search engines. Unlike other networking solutions where only a single search engine can be used to accommodate to a single network processor, the NetLogic/Xilinx reference designs allow the search engine resource to be efficiently shared among multiple network processors interfaced through a Xilinx Virtex-E device. The high memory-to-logic ratio and the flexibility of high performance Select I/O+(TM) technology in Virtex-E devices offer significant memory buffering (up to 1.12 Mb), enabling fast packet processing. These capabilities, coupled with NetLogic's advanced technology such as Zero Table Management(TM) architecture for the CIDR Co-Processor(TM), deliver a complete solution that meets the demands of today's network packet processing.

These reference designs can accommodate network processors with 32-bit and 64-bit interface bus widths, such as the MMC Networks XPIF-300 processor or the Motorola MPC8260 PowerQUICC-II(TM). Future support will include the Intel IXP-1200.

"By collaborating with NetLogic Microsystems to co-develop this modular interface, Xilinx is offering a crucial solution to a design challenge encountered when developing next-generation network equipment," said Bruce Weyer, senior marketing director of Advanced Products Group at Xilinx. "Together, we're offering a very flexible and simple solution that enhances network performance and enables network equipment to handle increasing traffic demands more efficiently."

NetLogic's co-processors and search engines offer unparalleled product features and benefits. The NL77542 CIDR Co-Processor can accommodate up to 32K entries per device and forwards 66 million packets per second. With its Zero Table Management architecture, this network co-processor eliminates the need to shuffle the routing table after every update, a requirement for competitive designs. The NL877313 search engine offers an embedded 4.5 Mb ternary CAM capacity, twice the size of competing solutions.

"NetLogic Microsystems and Xilinx understand that networking equipment designers can't risk missing the time-to-market window by having to develop their own controller for interfacing to our network co-processor and network search engine families," said TJ Mueller, vice president of marketing at NetLogic Microsystems. "The integrated solution from NetLogic and Xilinx makes it as easy as possible to shorten development time and simplify design."

For further information about the reference design, please visit: http://www.xilinx.com/company/reference_design/netlogic.htm

About the Xilinx Virtex Series

The Virtex series devices range from 50,000 to 3,000,000 system gates at clock speeds up to 311 MHz and include many new features that address system-level design challenges. With multiple I/O standards support, clock signal synchronization, and multiple memory resources, users can reduce their overall design complexity, component count, and total system cost by utilizing the system integration features on Virtex series devices. For more information, please visit: http://www.xilinx.com/products/virtex.htm

About Xilinx

Xilinx (Nasdaq:XLNX) is the leading innovator of complete programmable logic solutions, including advanced integrated circuits, software design tools, predefined system functions delivered as cores, and unparalleled field engineering support. Founded in 1984 and headquartered in San Jose, Calif., Xilinx invented the field programmable gate array (FPGA) and fulfills more than half of the world demand for these devices today. Xilinx solutions enable customers to reduce significantly the time required to develop products for the computer, peripheral, telecommunications, networking, industrial control, instrumentation, high-reliability/military, and consumer markets. For more information, visit the Xilinx Web site at www.xilinx.com.

About NetLogic Microsystems, Inc.

NetLogic Microsystems, located in Mountain View, Calif., defines, designs, and markets highly differentiated solutions that enable the global infrastructure of networking and communications to achieve the highest performance and functionality. NetLogic's network co-processors, network search engines, and subsystem products bring OC-48/192/768 wire-speed performance to key networking applications such as guaranteed Quality of Service (QoS), Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). For more information about products offered by NetLogic, call 650/961-6676 or visit the NetLogic Web site at www.netlogicmicro.com.

Note to Editors: CIDR Co-Processor and Zero Table Management are trademarks of NetLogic Microsystems, Inc. All other product names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.