Microchip Launches SparX-5i Ethernet Switch Family
Support for key TSN IEEE standards required for real-time communication
Integrated 100M, 1, 2.5, 5, 10G, and 25GbE interfaces


Ethernet, with its support for Time Sensitive Networking (TSN), offers a more universal approach to synchronization and precision timing in today's industrial automation systems without requiring separate information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) networks.

However, implementing this often requires a multi-chip solution, forcing developers to consider the increased complexity and cost. Accordingly, Microchip Technology released the 'SparX-5i' Ethernet switch product family, a single-chip solution based on IEEE standards, on the 4th.
The product family supports key TSN IEEE standards required for implementing real-time communication solutions, including IEEE 1588v2 and IEEE 802.1AS-REV profiles for time synchronization, the IEEE 802.1Qbv traffic shaping standard, the IEEE 802.1Qbu/802.3br standards for latency reduction, the IEEE 802.1Qci stream policing standard, and the IEEE 802.1CB standard for seamless redundancy.

Delivering these standards on a single chip ensures end-to-end transmission of high-priority traffic with low latency. The product family supports standard L2/L3 Ethernet bandwidths up to 200Gbps and integrates 100M, 1G, 2.5G, 5G, 10G, and 25GbE interfaces to provide flexible connectivity solutions.

The VSC6817SDK IStaX Linux application software, a development tool, is a turnkey industrial Ethernet switch software solution designed to support Microchip's managed Ethernet switch devices. The software uses the latest Linux OS. It integrates advanced L2+ switch features such as QCL and ACL, and also supports key TSN features.

Additionally, Microchip offers MESA, an Ethernet switch and PHY application programming interface (VSC6803API) that implements a comprehensive, OS-independent, user-friendly library of functions, and evaluation boards and reference designs are available upon request.

In addition to the SparX-5i family, Microchip also offers the SparX-5 family of enterprise Ethernet switches, which support standard L2/L3 Ethernet with bandwidths up to 200G. The SparX-5i and SparX-5 switches are available in production quantities and can be purchased today through Microchip's purchasing portal.