Today’s networks require engineers and managers alike to be masters of complexity: They manage the intricacies of traditional silicon, system-imposed performance barriers and server-to-server and server-to-storage communication.
In the future, data centers managers will be challenged to scale their networks and find efficiencies at the silicon level. The explosion in demand for public and private clouds (which Cisco predicts will increase at a 50 percent CAGR in the next three years), Web 2.0 and other high-bandwidth data center applications, the usual balancing act is destined to become a tightrope walk.
The resulting scalability and efficiency demands on both traditional enterprise and emerging mega-data centers call for a new era of cloud-scale networking. Even optimized, efficient enterprise networks  are taking a fresh look at their data centers as a source for growth, competitive advantage and return on IT investment.
Cloud-scale data centers need network virtualization and switch forwarding features that can support a large number of servers and users. Energy-efficient design and cost pressures are further driving down power, cooling, space and form factor metrics. These, in turn, are mandating advanced silicon IP and integration know-how and innovation.
Throughout the month, we’ll take a closer look on at how Broadcom engineers are architecting the transformation of cloud-scale networking with a creative approach to improving performance and agility.
Stay tuned to see Broadcom’s cloud solutions in action, as we demonstrate  our entire line of ground-breaking virtualization technology at VMworld 2012 in San Francisco this month.
If you can’t stop by our booth (#2017) in person, follow us on  Twitter and Facebook for updates from the show floor.
Related:
- EE Times: Network switch device equipment balances performance, cost and power in the cloud
- Electronic Design: Network Infrastructure: Virtualization Requirements Fuel Network Switch Design
- EE Times: Data center transformation–Sophisticated switching drives fast, fat, and flat
- White Paper: Avoiding Network Polarization and Increasing Visibility in Cloud Networks Using Broadcom Smart-Hash Technology
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