Marvell Gets in the 5G Infrastructure Game
Staying with the theme of 5G infrastructure, Marvell recently announced a new series of OCTEON Fusion processors specifically targeted for cellular base station designs. Delivering the greater bandwidth and improved latency that 5G promises requires more computing power – the OCTEON Fusion aims to provide that by adding DSP (digital signal processor) cores and baseband accelerators to Marvell’s OCTEON TX2 platform. The company boasts that the OCTEON Fusion family of processors is an optimal solution for layer 1 processing all-in-one cellular base stations and DU (distributed unit) processing in split architectures.
“Marvell provides the industry's most comprehensive set of 5G silicon solutions," according to Raj Singh, Executive VP of the Processors Business Group at Marvell. "The OCTEON Fusion family is the cornerstone of our architecture, providing a comprehensive, software-compatible and customizable base station compute platform to meet the diverse needs of next generation 5G mobile networks."
The OCTEON family all boast highly optimized custom 64-bit ARM processor cores, efficient caching subsystems and high memory bandwidth. The highly integrated multi-protocol single chips support up to 16 MIMO layers of 100Mhz each in downlink and up to 8 MIMO layers in uplink, with a throughput of 10Gbps in DL and 5Gbps in UL. The chip integrates VLIW (very long instruction word) DSP engines and comprehensive PHY accelerators with the ARM cores to support varying base station designs, from high-capacity micro-cell architectures to multi-sector macro cells for DU processing.
The OCTEON Fusion’s capacity to support thousands of connected devices simultaneously, broad connectivity and high throughput make it an ideal solution for upgrading existing cellular base stations for 5G feasibility or starting designs from scratch. The chip’s versatility is a strength in a fast-growing but still largely fluid marketplace. 5G networking configuration will come in all shapes and sizes, at least initially – chips that can function in various environments will have a leg up on the less-flexible competition. The flexibility the OCTEON family provides will allow wireless infrastructure OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) to develop hardware more quickly and get to the market faster, according to the company.
The OCTEON family is the latest chip in Marvell’s portfolio of RAN (radio access network) infrastructure semiconductor solutions – in addition to the OCTEON TX2 platform, the company also offers Prestera, a line of Ethernet switching solutions for front/backhaul and intra-RAN connectivity as well as Ethernet adapters, controllers and PHY product lines. Marvell also offers a range of customizable ASICs (application specific integrated circuits) OEMs can use to differentiate their own custom baseband and radio unit designs.
Marvell also announced a collaboration with Samsung to develop integrated solutions based on the OCTEON Fusion platform and the growing software ecosystem that accompanies it. Network providers are seeking out cost-effective solutions for the problems a 5G upgrade presents such as the added complexity of higher spectrum frequencies and massive MIMO deployments that utilize complex beamforming algorithms, algorithms that require considerable more compute power to process than their predecessors.
As indicated by Intel’s announcement last week, the big chip designers are looking for any and all inroads into 5G infrastructure. The potential for 5G-silicon revenue streams is seemingly endless – Intel’s internal forecast projects there will be 6 million 5G wireless base stations worldwide in just four years. The fight to get chips into those base stations is already on – we’ll keep an eye on who’s landing body blows as the transition to 5G continues.