PLX and Avago Technologies Team-Up to Prove PCI Express over Fiber Optics at 64Gbps

SUNNYVALE, Calif., June 21, 2011 – PLX Technology, Inc., a leader in high-speed I/O connectivity solutions, and Avago Technologies, a leading supplier of analog interface components, today announced a collaboration using optics to demonstrate PCI Express® (PCIe®) extending beyond its dominant role within the box to a cabled box-to-box solution.  This higher-performance alternative is paving the road for next-generation data center applications where lower latency, lower cost, extended cabling distances, and I/O conversion minimization create simpler architectures for cleaner PCIe end-to-end environments.

The demonstration from this collaboration features PLX® PEX8748 PCIe Gen3 (8Gbps per lane) switches, along with Avago® high-density MiniPOD™ parallel fiber optic modules, both of which are setup in a x8 configuration, showcasing external box-to-box high-performance connectivity at 64Gbps.  PCI Express as an interconnect for data centers using parallel optics will enable a wide variety of applications including storage, servers and GPU clustering.

“With PCI Express now native virtually everywhere, including Intel platforms and SSD storage modules, the market is hungry for reliable and harmonious solutions,” said Reggie Conley, senior director, hardware applications, PLX.  “As the market drives down the cost of optical solutions, today’s cumbersome and costly conversion of PCI Express to Ethernet or InfiniBand will be replaced by clean system architectures enjoying the fruits of PCIe and optical connectivity’s premium performance.”

“PCI Express is a natural fit for our MiniPOD embedded parallel optics, which deliver the speed and overall performance necessary to enable box-to-box connections,” said Victor Krutul, director of marketing for fiber optic products at Avago.  “Our work with PLX provides another example of Avago serving as the technology partner of choice to develop innovative fiber optic solutions for new applications.”

PLX and Avago will demonstrate this solution at the PCI-SIG Developers Conference, June 22-23, and at Avago’s Fiber Optic Solutions Product Seminar, June 23, both in Santa Clara, Calif.

About PLX

PLX Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: PLXT), based in Sunnyvale, Calif., USA, is an industry-leading global provider of semiconductor-based connectivity solutions primarily targeting the enterprise and consumer markets.  The company develops innovative software-enriched silicon that enables product differentiation, reliable interoperability and superior performance. www.plxtech.com. 

About Avago

Avago Technologies is a leading supplier of analog interface components for communications, industrial and consumer applications.  By leveraging its core competencies in III-V compound and silicon semiconductor design and processing, the company provides an extensive range of analog, mixed signal and optoelectronics components and subsystems to approximately 40,000 end customers.  Backed by strong customer service support, the company's products serve four diverse end markets: wireless communications, wired infrastructure, industrial and automotive electronics, and consumer and computing peripherals.  Avago has a global employee presence and heritage of technical innovation dating back nearly 50 years to its Hewlett-Packard roots. Information about Avago is available on the Web at www.avagotech.com.

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