Highlights:

  • A PON, or passive optical network, is an optical network that makes use of passive beam splitters.
  • Broadcom’s new chips, the BCM68660 and BCM55050, are specifically designed to power OLT and ONU devices, respectively.

Recently, Broadcom Inc. introduced two new chips designed to support PON infrastructure, a technology used by internet service providers to deliver connectivity to their customers.

Both processors incorporate artificial intelligence capabilities aimed at simplifying maintenance tasks.

A PON, or passive optical network, is a type of optical network that utilizes passive beam splitters—optical components capable of intercepting data as it travels through the network, duplicating it, and directing each copy to a separate destination. Since passive beam splitters don’t require electricity, they are more cost-effective compared to some alternative technologies.

A PON used by an internet provider delivers data traffic to consumers’ homes through multiple stages. The process begins with a device called an OLT, which converts the electrical signals carrying the data into light. This light then travels through a fiber-optic cable until it reaches an ONU, a networking device situated near consumers’ homes that converts the data back into electrical signals before transmitting it to user devices.

Broadcom’s latest chips, the BCM68660 and BCM55050, are specifically designed to support OLT and ONU devices, respectively.

Many existing PONs utilize a standard known as GPON, which offers download speeds of up to 2.5 gigabits per second. Some providers also deploy XGS-PON, a more advanced technology that delivers speeds four times higher. Broadcom’s new chips are compatible with both of these standards, as well as with 50G PON, an even faster technology that provides speeds up to 40 times greater than GPON.

The BCM68660 and BCM55050 also share several other characteristics. Both are built using a seven-nanometer manufacturing process and feature a neural processing unit optimized for running AI models. Broadcom states that internet providers can leverage this module to execute algorithms that automate tasks like resolving network issues.

The BCM68660, one of the new chips introduced by the company recently, features five quad-core central processing units, all built on Arm Holdings plc’s widely used instruction set architecture. These CPUs support 56 network interfaces for handling data traffic, eight of which are compatible with the high-speed 50G PON standard.

The BCM55050, Broadcom’s other newly introduced chip, has a straightforward design. It integrates a dual-core CPU with several specialized computing modules, including a 50G network processor specifically optimized for handling data traffic. Internet providers can deploy it alongside the BCM68660 within their networks.

Rich Nelson, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Broadcom’s Broadband Video Group, remarked, “Delivering dramatic cost and power savings, Broadcom’s 50G PON solution enables telcos worldwide to future-proof their networks and cost-effectively deploy 50G fiber broadband to drive the next generation of applications.”

The company is currently offering samples of the new chips to a limited number of early customers.