IDT pioneers devices for advanced data-flow management
( 01 Sep 2003 )
By Kirtimaya Varma
IDT has introduced a flow-control management IC targeting data-path and control applications. These ICs are claimed to be the industry's first multi-queue flow-control devices with DDR/SDR capabilities, and are ideal for applications where quality of service, data differentiation and parallel buffering of multiple data streams are required, including terabit routers, multi-service switching platforms and wireless base stations. The ICs combine IDT's expertise in memory technologies with critical logic functions, such as high-speed buffering, switching, multiplexing/de-multiplexing, domain transition, and random and sequential access. Joining IDT's existing 3.3V multi-queue family, the new chip includes support for four queues with the ability to run either DDR or SDR at speeds up to 200MHz in SDR mode and 400Mbps in DDR mode, thereby enabling system matching. Besides acting as a buffer, the new IC can be used to segregate and prioritize data at full-line rates through multiple queues, hitherto achieved with expensive and cumbersome implementations. Each queue within the device has a common data input bus and common data output bus. Data can be read to and written from the device on every clock edge with 100% bus utilization, even if the user is switching between queues. The company claims the new IC can enable China system architects to reduce functional costs by up to 50%. Says Michael Olsen, director of strategic marketing, IDT, "The new chip can enable communication system designers to lessen design time up to six weeks and reduce FPGA and ASIC size by as much as 70%." IDT has also introduced its new QuadMux flow-control devices. This device provides four independent ports on one side, each with its own data memory block, and a single bus on the other, thereby enabling convergence of four different data streams into a single data path. QuadMux devices can be configured to deliver multiplexing, demultiplexing or broadcast functionalities with a total bandwidth of up to 16Gbps.
IDT has introduced a flow-control management IC targeting data-path and control applications. These ICs are claimed to be the industry's first multi-queue flow-control devices with DDR/SDR capabilities, and are ideal for applications where quality of service, data differentiation and parallel buffering of multiple data streams are required, including terabit routers, multi-service switching platforms and wireless base stations. 
