Broadcom today announced the first 64bit quad-core processor for high-end routers.

The BCM4908 includes a 1.8GHz 64Bit quad-core ARM CPU and uses Broadcom's Runner network packet processor to deliver more than 5 Gbps of system data throughput without taxing the CPU. It also supports the increased speeds coming into the home including Google Fiber and Comcast 2 Gbps via an interface for a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet PHY. The BCM4908 pairs with Broadcom's BCM4366 wave 2 5G WiFi MU-MIMO to deliver more than 3.4Gbps of simultaneous Wi-Fi throughput.

Key Features:

• Zero CPU Wi-Fi offload frees up CPU resources for other tasks
• BroadStream iQoS acceleration
• Dedicated security processor to enable hardware VPN acceleration
• 2.5Gb Base-X Ethernet WAN/LAN port for supporting fast connectivity to multi-gigabit modem or a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device
• Feature-rich connectivity with integrated SATA III, two USB 3.0 ports and three PCIe Gen 2 ports reduces external RBOM cost
• Utilizes low power 28nm technology and advanced power management, offering power reductions of more than 50 percent as compared to previous solutions
• Supports Broadcom's tri-band (AC5300) 5G WiFi XStream 802.11ac MU-MIMO:
  • Three BCM4366 4x4 radios, each with an integrated CPU for host offload processing
  • Providing a total of seven CPU cores ("Septacore") with more than 9.6 GHz of CPU horse power
  • Powerful hardware acceleration for routing and USB storage

Broadcom is sampling the BCM4908 now to OEMs.