Broadcom has made a groundbreaking move with the introduction of its latest networking chip, Jericho4. This chip is engineered to revolutionize data transfer across data centers and enhance AI workload efficiency. As AI models grow in complexity, the demand for a more robust infrastructure becomes paramount. With Jericho4, Broadcom aims to meet these demands by linking data centers over vast distances, ensuring seamless data flow for cloud giants like Microsoft and Amazon.
A significant challenge in data transfer is maintaining security. The Jericho4 chip addresses this by incorporating encryption on every port. Remarkably, this doesn’t compromise performance, even in high-traffic scenarios. According to Ram Velaga, Broadcom’s senior vice president, the chip is designed for large-scale deployment, with each system potentially incorporating around 4,500 chips.
A notable feature of Jericho4 is its high-bandwidth memory, similar to that used in AI processors from Nvidia and AMD. This allows for temporary traffic storage, alleviating congestion. As Velaga notes, “The switch is actually holding that traffic (in memory) till the congestion frees up.” Thus, substantial onboard memory becomes crucial.
The chip’s construction employs Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s 3-nanometer technology. With the ability to scale to 36,000 HyperPorts, each at 3.2 terabits per second, Jericho4 supports innovative technologies like line-rate MACsec encryption and RDMA over Converged Ethernet. This propels the chip’s efficiency across distances exceeding 100 kilometers.
Jericho4’s HyperPort technology is transformative, merging four 800-gigabit Ethernet links into one coherent port. This minimizes load-balancing inefficiencies, boosting utilization by up to 70%. Consequently, traffic management in extensive networks becomes more straightforward. The chip’s capabilities also support lossless data transport, enabling the creation of distributed AI systems independent of physical constraints.
Security is paramount, with MACsec encryption safeguarding data transfers without slowing speeds. Additionally, Broadcom incorporates its 200G PAM4 SerDes technology, eliminating the need for auxiliary components. This reduces power consumption, cuts costs, and enhances reliability.
The chip is designed to be consistent with the Ultra Ethernet Consortium standards, ensuring compatibility with other network components. Jericho4 stands alongside Broadcom’s Tomahawk 6 and Tomahawk Ultra in their comprehensive networking portfolio.
