Hardware Podcasts

The Sidecar Switch

Oxide and Friends · 30 Nov 2021 · 1h 14m · Episode 24

What this episode covers

Arjen Roodselaar, a hardware engineer at Oxide Computer Company, details the design of the 'Sidecar Switch,' a custom rack-scale networking solution built around the Intel Tofino 2 programmable ASIC. He explains the decision to bypass off-the-shelf Broadcom switches due to their fixed-function limitations and opaque firmware, opting instead for a P4-programmable architecture that allows for custom data plane applications like load balancing and high-performance DNS. The team also addresses the complexity of the management network, rejecting the unreliable NCSI sideband in favor of a dedicated industrial Ethernet switch to ensure robust out-of-band control and security. Finally, Roodselaar highlights the engineering challenges of power delivery, signal integrity over blind-mated backplanes, and the critical role of Intel's RTL simulation model in enabling software development before silicon availability.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Oxide Computer Company, Intel, Barefoot Networks, Broadcom, Cadence, Cisco, Google, Facebook, Microsemi, Microchip, Juniper, NCI
Chips
Tofino 2
Tools
Allegro PCB Designer
Also
Arjen Roodselaar, P4, NCSI, Hubris

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 09m

    The RP1 and beyond with the Raspberry Pi Hardware team

    James Adams (CTO) and Liam Fraser (Hardware/Software Engineer) from Raspberry Pi discuss the development of the RP1 custom silicon, the success of the RP2040 microcontroller, and the architecture of the Raspberry Pi 5. They explain how RP1 acts as a Southbridge/chiplet to offload I/O functions from the main Broadcom SoC, allowing for cost and complexity reductions as process nodes shrink. The conversation covers their internal chip design tooling, sourcing strategies during the chip shortage, and the rationale for sticking with ARM over RISC-V.

    Chips, FPGAs & semiconductorsMicrocontrollers & dev platforms
    6 chapters

  • Embedded.fm · 57m

    342: That Girl's Brain

    Jessie Frazelle, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer at Oxide Computer, explains how the company builds open-source, rack-scale servers for enterprises by adopting hyperscaler-style hardware design. She details the decision to open-source firmware and hardware to eliminate vendor finger-pointing and security vulnerabilities inherent in proprietary BMCs. The discussion covers their use of Rust for firmware and control plane software, power efficiency metrics like PUE, and the challenges of deploying high-density compute in traditional colocation environments.

    Embedded firmwareSecurity & privacy
    7 chapters

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 15m

    Efinix FPGAs with Sammy Cheung

    Sammy Cheung, CEO and co-founder of Efinix, explains how the company’s disruptive SLR (Switchable Logic and Routing) FPGA architecture enables small, low-power devices like the Trion and Titanium to compete with traditional FPGAs in edge computing and computer vision applications. Cheung details the company’s history, from its founding in 2012 and initial pivot after Intel’s acquisition of Altera, to its current scaling phase where it sells millions of units and partners with sensor and microcontroller companies for System-in-Package (SiP) solutions. The discussion covers the technical advantages of the Titanium chip, including its 16nm process, embedded RISC-V soft cores, and specialized DSP blocks for AI, as well as the strategic challenges of growing from a scrappy startup into a larger organization while maintaining its culture.

    Chips, FPGAs & semiconductorsScaling production
    9 chapters

  • The Circuit · 30m

    Episode 121: Stop Talking about SAM Please

    Ben Bajarin and Jay Goldberg analyze Broadcom's recent earnings, highlighting a 60% year-over-year growth in its semiconductor segment driven by AI demand, while noting the stock's muted reaction due to high expectations. They discuss the complexities of custom ASIC development, emphasizing the 2-2.5 year timeline from tape-out to revenue and the risk that projects may be discontinued if they fail to outperform Nvidia GPUs on price-to-performance. The hosts also cover the launch of Broadcom's Tomahawk 6 networking chip, which supports ultra Ethernet and competes with Nvidia's InfiniBand, and explore the growing importance of enterprise storage solutions like NetApp for on-premises AI inference.

    Chips, FPGAs & semiconductorsWireless & RF
    8 chapters

  • EE Times Current · 17m

    800Gs Finally Breaking Out and Benefits of Solution

    John Swanson, HPC controller and data path product line manager at Synopsys, explains the technical breakthrough of 800G Ethernet, detailing its deployment in internet backbones and high-performance data centers. He discusses how industry standards from the IEEE and Ethernet Consortium are enabling interoperability, allowing generic switches and network interface cards to work together reliably. Swanson highlights the engineering challenges of designing these chips, including the complexity of 100G PAM4 Serdes, high clock speeds, and the use of 5nm and 3nm geometries, emphasizing the need for integrated IP solutions from companies like Synopsys and Broadcom.

    Wireless & RFChips, FPGAs & semiconductors
    7 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by Oxide and Friends. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.