Broadcom Switch Chipset Families

1. Tomahawk Series — “The Bandwidth Beast”

Focus: Maximum throughput, low latency, and high radix (port density). These are the “packet pushers” used in the Spine and Core of hyperscale data centers.

Tomahawk 5 (TH5)

The first to hit 51.2 Tbps. It introduced “Cognitive Routing” to handle the bursty nature of AI traffic and supports 64 ports of 800GbE.

Tomahawk 6 (TH6)

Hit production volume in March 2026. Doubles capacity to 102.4 Tbps on a single die.

  • Key Stat: Supports 512 ports of 200GbE or 1,024 ports of 100GbE.
  • AI Impact: Enables a “flat” 128,000 GPU cluster using only two switch tiers, drastically reducing the number of optics and hops required.

2. Trident Series — “The Smart Edge”

Focus: Feature richness, deep programmability, and enterprise-grade flexibility. Typically found in Top-of-Rack (ToR) and Leaf roles.

Trident 4 (TD4)

Introduced a compiler-programmable architecture using NPL, allowing network engineers to add new protocols or telemetry features without changing hardware.

Trident 5-X12 (Current Flagship — 16 Tbps)

  • NetGNT Engine: An on-chip Neural Network inference engine that detects congestion patterns and security threats (e.g., DDoS) in real-time at line rate.
  • Connectivity: Bridges the gap to the spine by supporting 800G uplinks.

3. Jericho Series — “The Distance & Depth Champion”

Focus: Deep buffers and massive routing tables. Designed for Internet edge or DCI (Data Center Interconnect) where traffic may need buffering during congestion or must travel long distances.

Jericho 3-AI

Designed to compete with InfiniBand in AI backends. Provides scheduled fabrics to ensure zero-packet-loss for RDMA workloads.

Jericho 4 (Sampling for 2026 production)

  • Deep Buffers: Uses High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) — the same technology found in GPUs — to buffer massive amounts of data.
  • DCI Champion: Optimized for “Scale-Across,” connecting AI clusters that are geographically separated (up to 100 km) while maintaining a lossless environment.

Comparison Table — Current Flagships

Family Latest Model Throughput Primary Strength Typical Deployment
Tomahawk Tomahawk 6 102.4 Tbps Raw Bandwidth / Density Spine, AI Fabric Core
Trident Trident 5-X12 16.0 Tbps Programmability / ML Telemetry ToR, Enterprise Leaf
Jericho Jericho 4 51.2 Tbps Deep Buffers / HBM / DCI Internet Edge, DCI