The META-DX1 family, integrated on a single chip, combines 1 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) to 400 GbE Ethernet ports, Flexible Ethernet (FlexE), MACsec (Media Access Control Security) link encryption, and nanosecond-level time accuracy with terabit capacity.
The industry is in the midst of a transition from 100 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) to 400 GbE to handle the traffic in large-scale data centers. According to Cisco's Global Cloud Index, this traffic will quadruple by 2021, as traffic between data centers will experience an average annual growth rate of 30%. META-DX1 allows line cards to quadruple their capacity, from 3.6 terabits per second (Tbps) to 14.4 Tbps with 36 400 GbE ports or 144 100 GbE ports, while also offering the core features required by service providers.
The META-DX1's MACsec engine adds security to traffic leaving the data center or enterprise premises. FlexE enables cloud and
telecom service providers to meet capacity requirements and reduce their capital expenditures on fiber infrastructure by optimizing link configurations beyond current fixed-speed Ethernet, allowing them to use low-cost optical devices.
The META-DX1 family is the only one that combines MACsec and FlexE in a solution suitable to deliver the capacity required by the next phase of data center interconnection.
META-DX1 also stands out because it integrates flexible cross-point switching capabilities, facilitating the transition for OEMs between 25 Gbps NRZ and 56 Gbps PAM architectures, as they can use a single design or reference for both 100 GbE (QSFP28) and 400 GbE (QSFP-DD) optical networks. By providing high-performance time-logging with nanosecond accuracy on each port, META-DX1 also ensures that new installations meet the demanding synchronization requirements of 5G mobile base stations.
Samples of the first members of the META-DX1 family will be delivered during the third quarter of 2019. All of them are hardware compatible and supported by the same software development kit.
