Cavium, Inc., a leading provider of semiconductor products that enable intelligent processing for enterprise, data center, cloud wired and wireless networking, today announced that it has partnered with Pica8 to bring true software-defined network (SDN) solution using Pica8's OpenFlow-based PicOS network operating system (NOS) and Cavium's revolutionary XPliant switch chip. The combination of these technologies enables end users, switch manufacturers and system integrators to create customized SDN environments to meet business and application needs.

Traditionally, switching ASIC pipelines have been fixed function and optimized for traditional ‘client-server' environments, as a result they have limited flexibility in adapting the switch functionality needed to support varied SDN needs. Today, networks need to be flexible to conform to unpredictable application demands, driven by SaaS and cloud adoption. Cavium's programmable XPliant switching silicon is the missing building block in providing full programmability of SDN environments. The XPliant switch, combined with PicOS, the market leading OpenFlow-based NOS, gives customers greater granular control to program their infrastructure. Customers can now choose exactly the right switching characteristics, NOS, and SDN applications to meet specific business needs.

Supporting Quotes

"Today's networks require customization because they tend to have different SaaS and Cloud profiles. As such, there's a need for an agile, programmable network that can conform to various needs," said Brad Casemore, Research Director, Datacenter Networks at IDC. "Cavium's Xpliant switch and Pica8's PicOS seek to address those requirements with a programmable switch ASIC pipeline that complements the value of software-defined infrastructure."

"Edgecore Networks understands the demand for additional open network solutions for cloud data centers, telecom service provider networks, and enterprise SDNs," said George Tchaparian, CEO at Edgecore Networks. "We welcome the work by Pica8 and Cavium to make the PicOS software available on open network switches based on the Cavium XPliant switch ASIC, including the Edgecore AS7500-32X 100GbE switch which has been contributed as an open source hardware design to the Open Compute Project."

"The Cavium - Pica8 partnership will create a solution that integrates Layer

2/3 networking and SDN within the same switch," said Dominic Wilde, vice president, Global Product Line Management at Hewlett Packard Enterprise. "We are excited to begin integration of the new Cavium/Pica8 solution with the HPE VAN SDN Controller and HPE Alotline family of open networking switches to empower customers to build scalable and automated networks that accelerate time to service and deliver faster ROI and lower total cost of ownership. In addition, with the Cavium/Pica8 solution, HPE customers can leverage the entire HP SDN App Store ecosystem."

"ASICs are the anchor of an SDN solution stack, and having choice in the market is key. Just as there is an ecosystem forming for SDN applications, controllers and network operating systems, we see having ASIC choice being a key enabler for customers to have the ability to tune the network for their environment," said James Liao, president and CEO of Pica8. "Pica8 is proud to have been selected as the first NOS on the revolutionary XPliant switches." 

"The XPliant switches deliver the flexibility and throughput required by next generation networks," said Eric Hayes, VP/GM of the Switch Platform Group at Cavium. "By partnering with Pica8, we can allow our customers to realize the full potential of the XPliant switch and build truly customized SDN implementations."

Availability

Cavium and Pica8 plan to have generally available products in Q1 of 2016.