Data Centers and Carriers Driving Growth of Ethernet Switch and PHY Chip Market According to New Linley Group Report

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA--(Marketwire - Dec 19, 2011) - The Ethernet switch-chip market grew to a record $1.6 billion in 2011 according to The Linley Group's recently released "A Guide Ethernet Switch and PHY Chips" report. This eighth edition report analyzes more than 15 vendors and provides strategic analysis, detailed product descriptions, design examples, a roadmap of future products where available, and head-to-head product comparisons. Notable findings in the report include:

• Although GbE provides the vast majority of switch-chip revenue, 10GbE is growing rapidly. Merchant switch-port shipments doubled in 2011, driven by increasing use of 10GbE top-of-rack (ToR) switches and blade-server fabrics.
• Merchant 10GbE switch-port shipments will grow at an impressive compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 38.6 percent through 2015. Growth accelerators for 10GbE switches include a server-upgrade cycle driven by Intel's upcoming Romley platform, a transition from ASIC-based switches to ASSP-based switches, and growth in cloud data centers.
• Shipments of 10GBase-T copper PHYs will reach millions of ports in 2012 and then grow rapidly through 2015.
• Carrier Ethernet is the biggest growth driver for GbE switch-chip shipments, while the lengthy transition of enterprises from FE to GbE also contributes to growth.

What: This report covers Ethernet switch chips and physical-layer (PHY) chips for a range of applications. It provides details on Carrier Ethernet switch chips as well as Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) switches for enterprises and 10G Ethernet (10GbE) switches for data-center applications. It also includes information on 10GbE optical and backplane PHYs, 10GBase-T (copper) PHYs, and PHYs for next-generation 40G/100G Ethernet.

Who: Authors of the report are Jag Bolaria and Bob Wheeler, senior analysts at The Linley Group.

Availability: "A Guide to Ethernet Switch and PHY Chips, Eighth Edition" is currently available directly from The Linley Group. For further details, including pricing and a list of included tables, visit the web site at http://www.linleygroup.com/report_detail.php?num=24

The Linley Group is the industry's leading source for independent technology analysis of semiconductors for networking, communications, mobile, and wireless applications. The company provides strategic consulting services, in-depth analytical reports, and Linley Tech events focused on advanced technology topics. The Linley Group is also the publisher of Microprocessor Report, the leading technical publication for unbiased analysis of high-performance processor technology. For insights on recent industry news, subscribe to the company's free email newsletters: "Linley Wire," "Linley on Mobile," and "Processor Watch."

Note to editors: To speak to an analyst from The Linley Group about this report, please contact: Erika Powelson, Powelson Communications, 831.424.1811 or email erika@powelsoninc.com.