Digital ICs/DSP: Southbridge Chip Set Merges PCI Express And Gigabit Ethernet MAC

Aug. 23, 2004

Connecting high-speed peripheral devices for multimedia applications is the driving force behind the SiS965 Southbridge chip set, thanks to the integration of PCI Express support. Also in the mix is a Gigabit Ethernet MAC, which lowers system costs and allows two Gigabit Ethernet connections to be enabled from the single MAC. The Southbridge chipset also supports an external PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet card. Data-transfer speed between the SiS965 and the company's Northbridge chip is enhanced further by a proprietary MuTIOL interface, which provides a 1-Gbyte/s transfer rate. The chip also supports up to four SATA disk drives, eight USB 2.0/1.1 ports, up to eight AC'97 audio channels, and more. Contact the company for volume pricing.

Silicon Integrated Systems Corp.www.sis.com

About the Author

Dave Bursky

Technologist

Dave Bursky, the founder of New Ideas in Communications, a publication website featuring the blog column Chipnastics – the Art and Science of Chip Design. He is also president of PRN Engineering, a technical writing and market consulting company. Prior to these organizations, he spent about a dozen years as a contributing editor to Chip Design magazine. Concurrent with Chip Design, he was also the technical editorial manager at Maxim Integrated Products, and prior to Maxim, Dave spent over 35 years working as an engineer for the U.S. Army Electronics Command and an editor with Electronic Design Magazine.