Microsemi Delivers First Validation of a Single-root Input/Output NVMe SSD with an Advanced Fabric PCIe Switch for Virtualization Applications

ALISO VIEJO, Calif., April 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Microsemi Corporation (Nasdaq: MSCC), a leading provider of semiconductor solutions differentiated by power, security, reliability and performance, today announced the first interoperability validation between its Switchtec PAX advanced fabric Gen3 PCIe switch and Samsung Electronics' PM1725a single-root input/output virtualization (SR-IOV) drive, enabling development of SR-IOV-capable NVMe drives with an advanced fabric switch. This unique collaboration between Microsemi and Samsung allows storage customers in the data center and enterprise markets to virtualize end points, optimize performance and reduce costs.

"Extensive interoperability testing between Samsung and Microsemi attests to the success of a far-reaching collaboration, through which we are able to bring to market the first validated SR-IOV-capable NVMe drives with an advanced fabric switch," said Pete Hazen, vice president and business unit manager of data center storage solutions at Microsemi. "As hyperconverged systems are evolving toward composable and disaggregated infrastructures, such as rack scale design, our jointly developed technology solution helps customers meet the rapidly changing demands for increased resources and the greater storage capacity associated with next-generation applications."

The companies' combined storage solution of the Switchtec PCIe fabric and SR-IOV enabled solid state drives (SSDs) enables system builders and hyperscale data center operators to dynamically optimize the storage subsystem to efficiently meet the changing workloads placed upon them. The collaboration offers low latency and an exceptionally cost-effective solution to the disaggregation of computing and storage resources.

"With enterprise and cloud storage requirements evolving rapidly, we will see many data centers and enterprises optimizing their storage resources using enhanced solutions and technologies," said Jim Elliott, senior corporate vice president, memory sales and marketing, Samsung Semiconductor, Inc. "By combining an array of our leading SSD technology with Microsemi's, we will be able to deliver NVMe drives and system solutions with higher density and performance for advanced fabric PCIe switches, allowing customers to virtualize their storage drives in the same way they have already virtualized server usage."

In virtualization, the SR-IOV specification allows the isolation of PCI Express resources for manageability and performance. SR-IOV offers a variety of virtual functions for most components on a physical server machine, and allows a number of virtual machines to share a single PCIe hardware interface. This significantly reduces time to market and storage costs, and simplifies system development.

SR-IOV is part of the greater composable/disaggregated market. According to market research firm IDC's February report titled, "Composable/Disaggregated Infrastructure (C/DI)—Addressable Market Opportunity," the total worldwide addressable opportunity for vendors with C/DI was $34.5 billion in 2017. The firm expects this opportunity will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.4 percent to reach $45 billion in 2020. Microsemi's Switchtec PAX advanced fabric PCIe switch is well-aligned with these growth trends, so data centers can leverage the device for the development of next-generation C/DIs.

Additional Features
Microsemi's Switchtec PAX family includes switches from 24 lanes to 96 lanes, providing:

• Software development kit (SDK) for virtualization of other SR-IOV endpoints, and for enclosure management
• High port density, with up to 48 ports
• Error containment for surprise-plug and unplug to prevent system crashes
• Advanced diagnostics and debug features to identify, diagnose and fix problems
• Separate Refclk Independent SSC (SRIS) for cabled PCIe and lower cost system designs

Collaboration with Samsung Enabled by Microsemi's Accelerate Ecosystem
Samsung's collaboration with Microsemi is part of Microsemi's Accelerate Ecosystem. The ecosystem facilitates collaboration between Microsemi and leading firms in the semiconductor integrated circuit (IC), intellectual property (IP), systems, software, tools and design spaces to integrate, test and deliver pre-validated designs and system-level solutions for end customers in Microsemi's key vertical markets—aerospace and defense, data center, communications and industrial. The Accelerate Ecosystem is designed to reduce time-to-market for end customers and time-to-revenue for Microsemi and ecosystem members via technology alignment, joint marketing and sales acceleration. Learn more at https://www.microsemi.com/product-directory/partners/4325-accelerate-ecosystem-partners and https://www.microsemi.com/existing-parts/parts/144096.

Product Availability
Microsemi's Switchtec PAX advanced fabric PCIe switches are sampling now. For more information, visit https://www.microsemi.com/product-directory/storage-ics/4017-switchtec-pcie-advanced-fabric-switches or contact sales.support@microsemi.com.

About Microsemi's PCI Express Product Portfolio
Microsemi is a premier supplier of high value-add PCIe products including the scalable, low power, high-reliability PFX family of PCIe Gen3 fanout switches, the programmable PSX family of PCIe Gen3 storage switches, the PAX family of PCI Gen 3 advanced fabric switches and the low power, multi-protocol, adaptive EQNOX™ family of signal conditioners with FlexEQ™ equalization technology supporting PCIe Gen3 and PCIe Gen2. Microsemi's PCIe family is key to building low power and high-reliability data center, communications, defense and industrial servers; workstations; switches; routers; cellular infrastructure and test equipment. For more information about Microsemi's PCIe portfolio, visit https://www.microsemi.com/product-directory/storage/4346-pcie-gen3-switches.         

About Microsemi's Product Portfolio for Data Center
Microsemi is a premier supplier of innovative semiconductor, board, system, software and services for enterprise and hyperscale data centers, enabling high performance, secure, low power and reliable infrastructure for scalable deployments. Microsemi technologies drive innovation in applications including storage systems, server storage, NVMe solutions, Ethernet switching, rack scale architecture, data center interconnect, board management, network timing and power subsystems. Building on a track record of technology leadership, Microsemi's data center infrastructure portfolio is transforming networks that connect, store and move big data, while lowering the total cost of ownership of deploying next generation services. 

The portfolio includes high performance NVMe storage controllers, NVRAM drives, SAS/SATA host bus adapters and RAID controllers enabling high capacity storage architectures, high density PCIe switching and firmware for rack scale architectures, PCIe re-drivers, and Ethernet PHYs for intra-rack connectivity. Microsemi's product portfolio also includes clock and power management, IEEE1588 integrated circuits (ICs) and NTP servers for synchronization across the data center, as well as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and system-on-chip (SoC) FPGAs to perform secure system management of servers and storage. For more information, visit http://www.microsemi.com/applications/data-center.

About Microsemi
Microsemi Corporation (NASDAQ: MSCC) offers a comprehensive portfolio of semiconductor and system solutions for aerospace & defense, communications, data center and industrial markets. Products include high-performance and radiation-hardened analog mixed-signal integrated circuits, FPGAs, SoCs and ASICs; power management products; timing and synchronization devices and precise time solutions, setting the world's standard for time; voice processing devices; RF solutions; discrete components; enterprise storage and communication solutions, security technologies and scalable anti-tamper products; Ethernet solutions; Power-over-Ethernet ICs and midspans; as well as custom design capabilities and services. Microsemi is headquartered in Aliso Viejo, California, and has approximately 4,800 employees globally. Learn more at www.microsemi.com.

Microsemi and the Microsemi logo are registered trademarks or service marks of Microsemi Corporation and/or its affiliates. Third-party trademarks and service marks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.

"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Any statements set forth in this news release that are not entirely historical and factual in nature, including without limitation statements related to the first interoperability validation between its Switchtec PAX advanced fabric Gen3 PCIe switch and Samsung Electronics' PM1725a single root input/output virtualization (SR-IOV) drives, enabling development of SR-IOV-capable NVMe drives with an advanced fabric switch, and its potential effects on future business, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. The potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, such factors as rapidly changing technology and product obsolescence, potential cost increases, variations in customer order preferences, weakness or competitive pricing environment of the marketplace, uncertain demand for and acceptance of the company's products, adverse circumstances in any of our end markets, results of in-process or planned development or marketing and promotional campaigns, difficulties foreseeing future demand, potential non-realization of expected orders or non-realization of backlog, product returns, product liability, and other potential unexpected business and economic conditions or adverse changes in current or expected industry conditions, difficulties and costs of protecting patents and other proprietary rights, inventory obsolescence and difficulties regarding customer qualification of products. In addition to these factors and any other factors mentioned elsewhere in this news release, the reader should refer as well to the factors, uncertainties or risks identified in the company's most recent Form 10-K and all subsequent Form 10-Q reports filed by Microsemi with the SEC. Additional risk factors may be identified from time to time in Microsemi's future filings. The forward-looking statements included in this release speak only as of the date hereof, and Microsemi does not undertake any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

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SOURCE Microsemi Corporation