How the World’s Most Advanced Network Processor is Making the Internet of Everything Possible

Over the last 30 years the Internet has transformed multiple times. Most of us take it for granted these days. We expect to watch videos on Netflix, run our meetings over WebEx, talk to our friends across the globe on Skype, and have access whether we’re at work, home, or on the go. But we forget that the Internet wasn’t originally built for this – it’s been barely 20 years since email, the World Wide Web, and always-on network access have become realities. The changes have occurred at a dizzying pace.

In the beginning the only way to handle the work of the Internet – routing and forwarding packets – was by using general-purpose computer chips. This didn’t last long as the explosive growth in network bandwidth drove Cisco and other infrastructure providers to use more customized silicon. Indeed, Cisco’s market success was driven in large part by our ability to offer industry-leading solutions with the best combination of price, performance, and capabilities. This in turn was fueled by Cisco’s use of internally developed network silicon using advanced ASIC development models ahead of competitors who continued to rely on general purpose CPUs or FPGAs to power their products.

Now the Internet is on the cusp of another transformation and this one will make it central to society and how we live, work, and play. We call it the Internet of Everything (IoE). While an important consequence of IoE will be a dramatic increase in network bandwidth, the nature of the network will itself change. Interactions will be between people, processes, and things and at any time the network will be simultaneously processing trillions of “network events”.

The Internet of Everything will require extremely advanced silicon and it begins today with the launch of the world’s most scalable and programmable network processor, the Cisco nPower X1. With over 4 billion transistors, this highly integrated 400 Gbps throughput single-chip will enable Terabit class solutions. It has sophisticated programmable control using open APIs and advanced compute operations that makes it ideal for software defined networks while handling extremely high event rates. It will help simplify network operations and allow new business models while it enables our customers to both support rapid bandwidth growth and transform the Internet.

The nPower journey has just begun. X1 is the first in a family and our team is well along in the development of even more advanced devices in this groundbreaking architecture.

Cisco will introduce networking innovations featuring the nPower X1 during a media, analyst and industry webcast on Tuesday, September 24, from 8:00 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. PDT.  To register, please visit cisco.com/go/systemforioe.