Intel announces 58Gbps FPGA transceiver

Intel's Programmable Solutions Group is showcasing 58Gbps transceiver technology integrated on the Intel Stratix 10 TX FPGA, the world's first field programmable gate array (FPGA) with 58Gbps PAM4 transceiver technology now shipping in volume production.

This technology doubles transceiver bandwidth performance when compared to traditional solutions. It is critical for applications where high bandwidth is paramount, including networking, cloud and 5G applications, optical transport networks, enterprise networking, cloud service providers, and 5G.

By supporting dual-mode modulation, 58Gbps PAM4 and 30Gbps NRZ, new infrastructure can reach 58Gbps data rates while staying backwards-compatible with existing network infrastructure.

The Stratix 10 TX FPGA with 58Gbps PAM4 transceiver technology provides system architects with higher transceiver bandwidth and hardened IP to address the insatiable demand for faster and higher density connectivity.

To facilitate the future of networking, Network Function Virtualisation (NFV) and optical transport solutions, Intel Stratix 10 TX FPGAs provide up to 144 transceiver lanes with serial data rates of 1 to 58Gbps.

This combination delivers a higher aggregate bandwidth than any current FPGA, enabling architects to scale to 100Gb, 200Gb and 400Gb delivery speeds.

A wide range of hardened intellectual property cores, including 100Gb MAC and FEC, deliver optimised performance, latency and power.

Intel Stratix 10 FPGA 58Gbs transceivers are interoperable with 400G Ethernet FPGAs, using only eight channels to support new high-bandwidth requirements for routers, switches, active optical cables and direct attach cables, interconnects, and test and measurement equipment.

Intel also unveiled a 112G PAM4 high-speed transceiver test chip built on 10nm process technology.

The chip will be incorporated into Intel's next-generation FPGA product families, supporting the most demanding bandwidth requirements in the next-generation data center, enterprise and networking environments.