Broadcom boosts bandwidth-intensive workloads with new 5G Wi-Fi SoCs
Image via Broadcom
Networking semiconductor maker Broadcom is something of a trendsetter, having been the first vendor to introduce quad-combo 802.11n chips and 5G transceivers with gigabit Ethernet. Before that, the company helped establish Bluetooth as a mainstream technology and pioneered the set-top industry, to name just a few of the achievements it racked up over its 23-year history.
Broadcom is once again upping the ante at this week’s Consumer Electronic Show with two new 5G Wi-Fi system-on-a-chip (SoC) solutions designed to enhance the performance of latency-sensitive platforms across the growing array of connected devices in our households.
The BCM43569 is a 2×2 MIMO combo chip that is described by Broadcom as the first product to provide a common USB port for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and integrated Power Amplifiers (iPA) across both bands. The company says that this architecture is not only significantly more cost-effective than alternatives, but also provides three times the bandwidth and side steps network interferences using “coexistence technology.” That makes it particularly well-suited for video streaming and gaming, especially as cloud services continue to gnaw away at the market share of traditional titles in the latter segment.
“As the first company to deliver 5G WiFi across all product segments, Broadcom continues to lead innovation and engineer even more powerful next-generation 5G WiFi products that support today’s content-hungry consumer,” commented Rahul Patel, the vice president of marketing for Broadcom’s Wireless Connectivity Combos group.
The BCM43569 is joined by the the BCM43602, which is a 3×3 MIMO 802.11ac SoC that offloads network activity from the host processor to improve overall system performance. The chips are not generally available yet, but Broadcom has already started sending out samples to OEMs.
“Our new advanced solutions bring consumers an elevated video streaming experience across the wirelessly connected home and provide OEMs with the benefits of improved system cost and form factor,” Patel said.
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