INTERCONNECTS

PALO ALTO, CA -- Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) today announced that it will supply Cisco Systems with a combination of consulting services and the 93000 SOC Series Test System hardware platform to enable Cisco's continued innovation in developing high-capacity ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits) for high-end Internet routers. This next-generation test system will enable Cisco to provide its routers with the highest reliability, density, and port speeds. The P1000 model of the Agilent 93000 tester, featuring the PCT3600, full parametric characterization 3.6 Gbps testing option, and the NP2500 true differential channel cards with maximum data rates of 2.5 Gbps per channel, will provide full characterization and rapid production testing of the ASICs. "Technology innovation resulting from the teamwork between Cisco and Agilent will connect people through the Internet as never before. Agilent's test equipment enables Cisco to gain access to high-speed test expertise and state-of-the-art test technology for the development of breakthrough technology -- which Cisco is best known for," said Tony Bates, vice-president and general manager, Internet POP Systems Business Unit at Cisco Systems. "Agilent's unique combination of hardware and test methodology expertise and services offers us comprehensive testing of complex ASICs with embedded multi-gigabit SerDes which enables us to develop high-quality products. SerDes technology is used to replace high pin count, slow speed buses with fewer high-speed Serial links. This integration will not only increase reliability and speeds but also will reduce package sizes and hence complexity and cost associated with systems." "Agilent will enable Cisco to extend its leadership in high-speed digital communications," said Tom Newsom, vice-president and general manager of Agilent's SOC Business Unit. "Our scalable 93000 family combined with our unparalleled test expertise will allow Cisco to keep pace with designers' visions and consumer demands for faster, more powerful networking applications." The need to build next-generation routers with high-speed circuitry necessitates the drive towards scaling interfaces by embedding multi-gigabit SerDes within ASICs. This integration will not only increase reliability and speed but also reduce package sizes and hence the complexity and cost associated with the systems. The Agilent 93000 SOC Series Test System covers wide-ranging applications, including analog, buses, communications, and digital and embedded memory. The 93000's scalable architecture allows for pay-per-use speed, memory upgrades, higher utilization, increased reliability, a smaller footprint, and increased longevity and stability. Flexibility enables the Agilent 93000 to excel in situations where unpredictability and high channel mixes dominate.