Irvine, CA — (press release excerpt) — Broadcom Corp. today announced a 500 megabit/sec (Mbps) IP security processor that provides manufacturers with a high-performance, low power security solution for cost-sensitive networking equipment. The Broadcom BCM5823 CryptoNetX IPsec Processor, with a built-in PCI bus, supports the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and public key processing.

The BCM5823 supports 256-bit key AES, the most recent Government-approved encryption algorithm necessary for IPsec-based firewalls and VPN appliances, which is being rapidly deployed by network equipment manufacturers. Support for the 256-bit key AES at 500 Mbps provides much stronger IP security at a mid-range performance point, which is required by embedded firewalls, VPN appliances, VPN-enabled routers and access devices used for securing confidential e-Commerce transactions and data transfers over the Internet.

The BCM5823 supports both 200 Mbps and 500 Mbps and can scale up to 1 Gigabit per second (Gbps). By supporting multiple performance points, the BCM5823 allows manufacturers to add security to a family of networking products using a common hardware design and software platform. This provides significant cost and time-to-market savings to manufacturers. The BCM5823 is also software compatible with Broadcom's previous generations of IPsec chips. This compatibility allows manufacturers to easily upgrade to the BCM5823 for AES support in current network designs.

The BCM5823 is available in two configurations — 500 Mbps throughput supporting 400 Internet Key Exchange (IKE) sessions per second, and 200 Mbps supporting 200 IKE sessions per second. The chip supports IPsec bulk payload processing for all of the AES modes, including 128-, 192- and 256-bit AES-CBC and AES-CTR key length support. It also accelerates ARCFOUR at 800 Mbps and supports 3DES and DES symmetric algorithms, MD-5, SHA-1 hash algorithms and random number generation through its 64-bit 33/66 MHz PCI 2.2 interface.

The BCM5823 requires no external components or memory and has a power consumption of only 1.3 Watts at 500 Mbps or 1.1 Watts at 200 Mbps, making it ideal for embedded applications with limited board space and strict power requirements. The chip comes with an extensive embedded software development kit that is compatible with Broadcom's other CryptoNetX security chips, enabling manufacturers to build a range of security solutions using one software platform. Broadcom's development kit includes a reference design and a cryptographic software library, supporting BSD, Linux, and VxWorks.

The BCM5823 CryptoNetX Security Processor, in both the 500 Mbps and 200 Mbps versions, is sampling today, and production quantities are expected to be available in the third quarter of 2002. The chip is packaged in a 256-pin PBGA package.

 
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