Vitesse Enhances Low Cost Crosspoint Product Line for Gigabit Ethernet, ATM Switches and HDTV Applications.

CAMARILLO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 14, 1999--

New Crosspoint Switches Achieve Higher Performance and

are a More Cost-Effective Single Chip Solution for Designers

Vitesse Semiconductor Corp. (NASDAQ:VTSS) Wednesday announced additions to its Crosspoint switch product line, with the availability of the VSC851, a 32x32 crosspoint switch integrated circuit, and the VSC852, a 64x64 crosspoint switch ICs, both with speeds up to 1.6Gb/s.

These circuits significantly reduce the cost and simplify the implementation of high-speed digital data-switching systems used in applications such as Gigabit Ethernet and ATM that require 1.25Gb/s rates, or High Definition TV (HDTV) that requires 1.5Gb/s data rates.

Previously, high port count systems have required a large array of devices with high pin counts to achieve the same functionality of the VSC851 or VSC852. In addition, these devices eliminate the need for resynchronization and driver ICs that are necessary for each channel in previous designs.

These crosspoint switches obtain higher performance and are a more cost-effective single chip solution that designers require today. In addition to Gigabit Ethernet, ATM and HDTV, the VSC851 and VSC852 are ideally suited for other datacom and telecom switch cores, high speed routers, Fibre Channel applications and proprietary computer networking systems.

The VSC851 features a 32x32 crosspoint switch core with 1.6Gb/s fully differential serial I/Os. It has a non-blocking architecture with standard TTL interfaces for control logic and ECL interfaces for high speed differential serial I/O. The VSC851 has excellent signal integrity with less than 150ps duty cycle distortion and less than 250ps of skew in broadcast mode.

Similarly, the VSC852 features a 64x64 crosspoint switch core with extremely sharp edge rates. Both devices show extremely low jitter and crosstalk.

"As opposed to silicon crosspoint switches, the VSC851 and VSC852 offer lower power and higher bandwidth," said Tony Anderson, product marketing manager for advance networking products at Vitesse.

"Obtaining the same bandwidth and signal integrity in CMOS would require a multiple IC, high-pincount device architecture, which would require more board space and complex interconnect. The VSC851 and VSC852 are the most cost-effective solutions available to designers today and is much less complex than other options," continued Anderson.

The VSC851 and VSC852 are the latest enhancements to Vitesse's expanding product line of high bandwidth network switching products for datacom applications. This product line includes the VSC850, a 16x32 1.6Gb/s crosspoint switch, as well as OC-48 crosspoints for telecom applications.

"Vitesse can now boast one of the largest availabilities of crosspoint switches for designers and will continue to offer more efficient and better switching solutions in the future," concluded Anderson.

The VSC851 is supplied in a 256 pin LDCC package and is priced at $198 in quantities of 1000, while the VSC852 is supplied in a 440 BGA package and is priced at $510 in quantities of 1000. Production quantities are available now for both the VSC851 and VSC852.

Vitesse Semiconductor Corp. is a world leader in the design, development, manufacturing and marketing of high bandwidth communications and Automatic Test Equipment (ATE) integrated circuits (ICs). The company's products address the needs of telecommunications, datacommunications and ATE equipment manufacturers who demand a combination of high speed, high complexity and low power dissipation.

Vitesse has headquarters in Camarillo and manufactures volume ICs at its two fabrication facilities in Camarillo and Colorado Springs, Colo. Company/product information can be found on the Web at www.vitesse.com.