BusinessWire
October 13, 2003 06:30 AM US Pacific Timezone

HyWire Ltd. First Company To Offer The Lowest Cost Search Technology for Next Generation Routers and Switchers

Network Processors Conference West 2003

SAN JOSE, Calif. & NETANYA, Israel--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 13, 2003--New Products Utilize DRAMS To Increase Search Table Size And Reduce Cost Without Sacrificing Performance

HyWire Ltd. today introduced the lowest cost search engine products that perform forwarding, classification, billing, accounting and security for next generation routers and switchers. The company's HyCognito(TM) family of products are soft core and embedded-array based versions of HyWire's Search Engine Managers (SEMs) - deterministic hardware processing devices, specialized to perform the company's patented algorithms and capable of running up to 400 million searches per second (Msps). By combining the SEMs with industry-standard DRAMs, HyWire supports huge search and classification tables at the lowest possible cost. The company's technology overcomes bandwidth issues associated with DRAMS, thus providing TCAM level, or better performance. Further cost savings are achieved by integrating the associated data and counter/timer circuitry into the DRAM, reducing power consumption, chip count and board space.

The first two HyCognito family members are a soft core, targeted for lower speed, cost sensitive designs, and an embedded-array-based application specific standard product (ASSP), targeted for designs supporting several million deep IPv6 tables running over and above full duplex 10GE/OC192.

HyWire is the first company to offer search engines that fit into small FPGAs, gate arrays, or system-on-a-chip (SOCs). Because the customer licenses the soft core, he has the flexibility to pick the "media" that provides the best cost/performance option and efficiently integrate it with other selected IP. He can now utilize this technology to quickly move into targeted markets without exposing his company's IP to outside sources. This is especially applicable for low volume, cost-sensitive designs.

HyWire utilized embedded gate array devices to provide a high-end ASSP option. The ASSP also combines with DRAMs to provide enormous (several million entries), IPv4 or IPv6 forwarding tables that can be searched up to 400 Msps.

"The Internet today is constrained by the cost/performance trade-offs that network equipment manufacturers are forced to make when using TCAMs," said Moshe Stark, founder and CEO of HyWire. "Our technology allows the designer to create more capabilities in his equipment with no price penalty. In fact, the cost savings we provide are quite substantial. For less than the price of an 18 Meg TCAM, the user can now produce a 100 Msps system with up to 6 million IPv4 entries or 4 million IPv6 entries. Compared to the same system using 18 Mb TCAMs, it would take 12 TCAMs for the IPv4 table and 32 for the IPv6 table. By significantly lowering the costs of large high-performance search tables, we help enable the next generation networking equipment that will drive the Internet to its fullest."

Development System

HyWire provides a development environment that includes an emulator board (with the standard product soft core implemented in an FPGA) along with software API/drivers implemented in C language. Starting the design with proven hardware and working software, reduces risk and speeds the design to completion.

Price and Availability

HyWire offers its components at $250 for 10K volumes and its soft cores through license and royalty agreements.

HyWire's low-end HyCognito soft core will be available in January 2004. High-end standard products will be available Q2 2004.

HyWire will be showing its FPGA-based demo board operating at 100 Msps on huge (millions deep) IPv6 and IPv4 tables at the Network Processors Conference in San Jose, October 21-23; Booth #625.

About HyWire

HyWire provides search engine solutions for forwarding, classification, billing and security applications. HyWire search solutions utilize DRAMs to facilitate the implementation of massive-storage at the lowest cost possible at search rates up to 400 Msps. HyWire products are available in various forms, such as licensed FPGA-embedded soft cores, embedded arrays and custom-designed silicon chips. HyWire has headquarters and research and development facilities in Netanya, Israel. Its sales and marketing operations are located in San Jose, Calif.

Website: http://www.hywire.com