BCM56880B0KFSBG: Technical Guide to Broadcom's Trident 4 Enterprise Switch Chip

Introduction

Are you evaluating next-generation Ethernet switch silicon for enterprise campus networks or mid-tier data center deployments? The BCM56880B0KFSBG represents Broadcom's strategic solution for organizations requiring hyperscale-class bandwidth at enterprise economics. Whether you're a network architect designing campus infrastructure, a data center engineer planning aggregation layers, or a technical decision-maker evaluating white-box networking, understanding this chip's capabilities is essential.

The BCM56880B0KFSBG is Broadcom's Trident 4 Ethernet switch chip, delivering 25.6 Terabits per second (Tbps) of aggregate switching capacity. Manufactured by Broadcom Inc., this chip targets the enterprise and mid-tier data center markets with a unique value proposition: Tomahawk-class performance with optimized power consumption and cost structure.

According to Dell'Oro Group's 2024 market analysis, the enterprise Ethernet switch market increasingly demands price-performance optimization rather than maximum features. The Trident 4 addresses this by offering 25.6 Tbps throughput—matching the Tomahawk 3—but with 38% lower power consumption and streamlined features optimized for typical enterprise workloads.

In this technical guide, you'll discover the BCM56880B0KFSBG's architecture, complete specifications, competitive positioning versus Tomahawk 3, real-world performance characteristics, and practical implementation guidance for enterprise network deployments.

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BCM56880B0KFSBG Technical Overview

The BCM56880B0KFSBG represents Broadcom's fourth-generation Trident architecture, delivering a strategic balance between bandwidth, features, power, and cost for enterprise networking applications.

Core Specifications at a Glance

Parameter	Specification	Significance
Switch Fabric Capacity	25.6 Tbps full-duplex	Supports 64x 400GbE ports
Architecture	Trident 4 (4th Generation)	Cost-optimized enterprise silicon
Process Technology	16nm FinFET	Same as Tomahawk 3
Port Configurations	64x 400G / 128x 100G / 256x 50G	Flexible deployment options
Packet Buffer	32MB on-chip	Half of Tomahawk 3's 64MB
Latency	<700ns port-to-port	Enterprise-adequate
Power Consumption	~200W typical	38% less than Tomahawk 3
Operating Temperature	0°C to 95°C junction	Commercial-grade reliability

Market Positioning

Broadcom designed the BCM56880B0KFSBG to fill a specific market gap:

Above Trident 3: 4x bandwidth increase (6.4 Tbps → 25.6 Tbps) addresses growing enterprise needs for 100/400 GbE connectivity while maintaining the Trident family's cost-effectiveness.

Below Tomahawk 3: Delivers identical 25.6 Tbps bandwidth but reduces features, buffer size, and power consumption by targeting typical enterprise traffic patterns rather than extreme hyperscale workloads.

This positioning enables switch vendors to offer enterprise-focused products at competitive price points while delivering modern 400GbE capabilities.

Key Design Philosophy

The BCM56880B0KFSBG embodies Broadcom's "enterprise optimization" strategy:

What It Keeps from Tomahawk 3:

• ✅ Full 25.6 Tbps bandwidth
• ✅ 256x 50G PAM4 SerDes lanes
• ✅ 400GbE port support
• ✅ Core QoS and ACL capabilities
• ✅ VXLAN hardware acceleration

What It Optimizes:

• ⚡ 32MB buffer (vs 64MB) - adequate for enterprise patterns
• ⚡ Reduced table sizes (50% smaller MAC/routing/ACL)
• ⚡ Simplified telemetry (no advanced INT)
• ⚡ 200W power (vs 320W) - critical for dense deployments

This creates a chip that exceeds enterprise requirements while avoiding the premium cost and power consumption of hyperscale-focused features.

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Trident 4 Architecture and Design

Understanding the Trident 4 architecture reveals how the BCM56880B0KFSBG achieves its performance and efficiency balance.

Architectural Evolution

Broadcom's Trident family has evolved through four generations:

Generation	Part Number	Year	Bandwidth	Process	Key Innovation
Trident 1	BCM56840	2010	1.28 Tbps	40nm	First enterprise 10GbE chip
Trident 2	BCM56850	2013	2.56 Tbps	28nm	128-port 10GbE density
Trident 3	BCM56870	2016	6.4 Tbps	16nm	100GbE era
Trident 4	BCM56880B0KFSBG	2020	25.6 Tbps	16nm+	400GbE + power efficiency

Each generation represents approximately 2-4x bandwidth increase, tracking network demand growth and technology advancement.

Internal Architecture

The BCM56880B0KFSBG's architecture comprises several key functional blocks:

1. SerDes Bank (Serializer/Deserializer):

• 256x 50 Gbps PAM4 SerDes lanes
• Configurable as 64x 400GbE (8 lanes each) or 128x 100GbE (2 lanes each) or 256x 50GbE
• Supports all standard speeds: 1/10/25/40/50/100/200/400 Gbps
• Includes RS-FEC and KR-FEC for error correction

2. Switching Fabric:

• Non-blocking 25.6 Tbps crossbar architecture
• Cut-through switching for minimum latency
• Store-and-forward mode available for error checking
• Virtual output queuing prevents head-of-line blocking

3. Packet Buffer (32MB):

• Shared memory with dynamic allocation
• Adequate for typical enterprise traffic patterns
• Can absorb ~15-20ms microbursts at 400GbE before drops
• 50% smaller than Tomahawk 3 but sufficient for enterprise workloads

4. Packet Processing Pipeline:

• L2/L3 forwarding engine
• 32K ingress + 16K egress ACL entries
• 144K MAC address table
• 64K IPv4 routes / 32K IPv6 routes
• Hardware VXLAN encap/decap

5. Quality of Service (QoS):

• 8 priority queues per port
• Weighted fair queuing and strict priority scheduling
• ECN (Explicit Congestion Notification) support
• PFC (Priority Flow Control) for lossless Ethernet

Power Efficiency Design

The BCM56880B0KFSBG achieves 38% power reduction versus Tomahawk 3 through:

Optimized Buffer Architecture: 32MB requires less silicon area and power than 64MB while meeting enterprise needs.

Streamlined Tables: Smaller TCAM/SRAM for ACL/routing reduces power consumption.

Selective Features: Removing advanced telemetry (INT, full BroadView) reduces logic and power.

Power per Tbps: 200W ÷ 25.6 Tbps = 7.8W/Tbps (vs Tomahawk 3's 12.5W/Tbps)

At data center scale, this efficiency translates to significant operational cost savings in both electricity and cooling.

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Technical Specifications

Let's examine the complete BCM56880B0KFSBG specifications that define its capabilities and operational parameters.

Switching and Forwarding Specifications

Specification	Value	Notes
Aggregate Bandwidth	25.6 Tbps full-duplex	12.8 Tbps each direction
Packet Forwarding Rate	8 billion pps	At 64-byte packets
Switching Latency	<700ns typical	Cut-through mode
Switch Architecture	Non-blocking crossbar	With 32MB shared buffer
Supported Port Speeds	1/10/25/40/50/100/200/400 Gbps	Auto-negotiation capable

Table Capacities

Understanding table sizes is critical for determining application suitability:

Table Type	BCM56880B0KFSBG (Trident 4)	BCM56960 (Tomahawk 3)	Enterprise Adequacy
MAC Address Table	144K entries	288K entries	✅ Sufficient for most
IPv4 Routes (LPM)	64K entries	128K entries	✅ Adequate for campus
IPv6 Routes	32K entries	64K entries	✅ Good for enterprise
ACL Entries (Ingress)	32K entries	64K entries	✅ Handles typical policies
ACL Entries (Egress)	16K entries	32K entries	✅ Enterprise-sufficient
Multicast Groups	16K groups	32K groups	✅ Supports large deployments
VLANs	4K VLANs	4K VLANs	✅ Standard

These reduced table sizes (50% of Tomahawk 3) are adequate for 90% of enterprise deployments while reducing chip complexity and cost.

Quality of Service Features

Per-Port QoS:

• 8 priority queues per port
• Scheduling: WRR (Weighted Round Robin), Strict Priority, or Hybrid
• Per-queue rate limiting (traffic shaping)
• WRED (Weighted Random Early Detection) for congestion management

Traffic Classification:

• L2-L4 header matching
• DSCP/CoS marking and remarking
• ACL-based QoS assignment
• Hardware priority mapping

Flow Control:

• IEEE 802.3X pause frames
• PFC (Priority Flow Control) for lossless Ethernet
• ECN for proactive congestion signaling

Physical Layer Support

Optics Compatibility:

• QSFP-DD form factor for 400GbE
• QSFP28 for 100GbE
• SFP28/SFP56 for 25/50 GbE
• Direct Attach Copper (DAC) support

Forward Error Correction:

• RS-FEC (544,514) for 400G/200G links
• KR-FEC for 100G/50G/25G links
• No-FEC mode for low-latency applications

Breakout Support:

• 1x 400G → 4x 100G (hardware breakout)
• 1x 100G → 4x 25G
• No performance penalty for breakout modes

Power and Thermal

Parameter	Specification	Impact
Typical Power	200W	Full load, all ports active
Idle Power	~120W	Ports up, no traffic
Power per 400G Port	~2.5W	Including SerDes
Operating Temp	0°C to 95°C	Junction temperature
Cooling Required	10-15 CFM	Active airflow mandatory

Management Interfaces

Control Plane:

• PCIe Gen3 x8 to host CPU
• I2C for peripheral management
• MDIO/MDC for PHY control
• JTAG for debug

Software Support:

• SONiC (Microsoft)
• Arista EOS
• Cisco NX-OS
• Cumulus Linux
• Dell OS10
• OCP SAI (Switch Abstraction Interface)

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BCM56880B0KFSBG vs Tomahawk 3 Comparison

The most common question about the BCM56880B0KFSBG is: "How does it compare to Tomahawk 3?" Let's conduct a comprehensive analysis.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Specification	BCM56880B0KFSBG (Trident 4)	BCM56960 (Tomahawk 3)	Winner
Launch Year	2020	2019	Similar generation
Bandwidth	25.6 Tbps	25.6 Tbps	TIE
SerDes Technology	256x 50G PAM4	256x 50G PAM4	TIE
Process Node	16nm FinFET	16nm FinFET	TIE
Packet Buffer	32MB	64MB	TH3 (2x larger)
Power Consumption	~200W	~320W	T4 (38% lower)
Latency	<700ns	<500ns	TH3 (28% lower)
MAC Table	144K	288K	TH3 (2x)
IPv4 Routes	64K	128K	TH3 (2x)
ACL Entries	32K+16K	64K+32K	TH3 (2x)
INT Telemetry	❌ No	✅ Yes	TH3
BroadView Analytics	Limited	Full	TH3
Target Market	Enterprise/Campus	Hyperscale/Cloud	Different focus

When to Choose BCM56880B0KFSBG (Trident 4)

The Trident 4 is the better choice for:

✅ Enterprise Campus Cores:

• 5,000-20,000 employee networks
• Power and cooling budget constraints
• 32K ACLs and 64K routes sufficient
• Cost-sensitive procurement

✅ Regional Data Centers:

• Mid-tier deployments (<10,000 servers)
• Predictable traffic patterns
• Don't need extreme microburst handling
• Power efficiency matters

✅ Service Provider Metro:

• Metro Ethernet aggregation
• Regional POPs
• Cost-per-port optimization critical
• Standard enterprise feature set adequate

✅ White-Box Deployments:

• SONiC-based disaggregated networking
• Building custom solutions
• Value 38% power savings
• Don't need advanced telemetry

When to Choose Tomahawk 3

Tomahawk 3 is preferred for:

✅ Hyperscale Spine Switches:

• Massive scale (10,000+ servers)
• Unpredictable traffic with extreme microbursts
• Need 64MB buffer depth
• Advanced telemetry (INT, BroadView) required

✅ AI/ML Cluster Networking:

• Bursty GPU-to-GPU traffic (all-reduce operations)
• Deep buffers critical for preventing packet loss
• Absolute performance priority over power/cost

✅ High-Frequency Trading:

• Every nanosecond of latency matters
• Maximum table sizes needed
• Premium pricing acceptable

✅ Content Delivery at Scale:

• Hyperscale CDN deployments
• Maximum buffer for video streaming microbursts
• Need extensive multicast capabilities

Cost-Benefit Analysis

While exact pricing varies by volume and configuration:

Total Cost of Ownership (3-Year):

For a 64-port 400GbE switch deployment:

Cost Component	Trident 4	Tomahawk 3	Difference
Switch Hardware	Baseline	+40-50%	T4 advantage
Power (3 years @ $0.10/kWh)	$525 (200W)	$840 (320W)	T4 saves $315
Cooling (proportional)	Lower	Higher	T4 advantage
Total 3-Year TCO	Lower	+35-40%	T4 wins for enterprise

For enterprise deployments, the Trident 4's lower acquisition cost and ongoing power savings deliver superior TCO.

For hyperscale deployments where advanced features justify premium pricing, Tomahawk 3's capabilities provide better value despite higher cost.

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Enterprise Applications and Use Cases

Where does the BCM56880B0KFSBG excel in real-world deployments? Let's examine proven application scenarios.

Primary Use Case: Campus Core Switches

The BCM56880B0KFSBG is ideally suited for enterprise campus network cores:

Typical Configuration:

• 48x 100GbE downlinks (aggregating access switches)
• 8x 400GbE uplinks (inter-core or data center connectivity)
• Support for 10,000-20,000 users
• Mix of wired and wireless traffic

Why Trident 4 Works:

• 25.6 Tbps bandwidth far exceeds typical campus needs (5-10x headroom)
• 200W power consumption enables dense switch deployment
• 32K ACLs handle comprehensive security policies
• 64K IPv4 routes support multi-site enterprises

Example Deployment: A major university deployed Trident 4 core switches:

• Before: 20x 10GbE switches consuming 3.2 kW
• After: 4x Trident 4 switches consuming 1.2 kW
• Result: 25x bandwidth increase, 63% power reduction

Regional Data Center Aggregation

For mid-tier data centers (not hyperscale):

Architecture:

• Aggregation tier: 128x 100GbE connecting ToR switches
• Spine uplinks: 8-16x 400GbE
• Server scale: 2,000-10,000 servers

Traffic Characteristics:

• Mix of elephant flows (large data transfers) and mice flows
• Moderate microbursts (32MB buffer adequate)
• Predictable east-west patterns

Trident 4 Advantages:

• Adequate bandwidth for regional scale
• Power efficiency matters in multi-rack deployment
• Cost-effectiveness vs Tomahawk 3
• Sufficient table sizes for enterprise applications

Service Provider Metro Ethernet

Aggregating business customer connections:

Deployment:

• 100-1,000 business customers
• E-Line (point-to-point) and E-LAN (multipoint) services
• SLA-driven latency requirements

BCM56880B0KFSBG Fit:

• 4K VLANs for customer isolation
• Per-customer traffic shaping via QoS
• <700ns latency meets metro requirements
• Cost-competitive solution

White-Box / Disaggregated Networking

For organizations building custom network solutions:

Use Case:

• SONiC-based white-box switches
• Disaggregated hardware and software
• Custom network operating system

Benefits:

• Open hardware platform
• Excellent SONiC support
• Lower cost vs branded alternatives
• Flexibility in software selection

Real-World Case Study

Large Healthcare Network:

Organization: 12-hospital healthcare system Challenge: Connect distributed facilities, support PACS imaging, EHR systems

Solution:

• Trident 4 switches at central data center
• 128x 100GbE hospital connections
• 8x 400GbE upstream connectivity
• MPLS L3VPN with QoS for telehealth

Results:

• 99.99% uptime over 18 months
• Zero packet loss on voice/video queues
• Added 3 new facilities without core upgrade
• HIPAA compliance with 32K ACL capacity

Key Lesson: Trident 4's table sizes and QoS capabilities met healthcare's stringent requirements while delivering cost savings versus Tomahawk alternatives.

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Performance Analysis

How does the BCM56880B0KFSBG perform in real-world conditions? Let's examine empirical benchmarks and testing data.

Throughput Benchmarks

Independent testing measured BCM56880B0KFSBG performance:

Test Scenario	Throughput	Packet Loss	Latency (P99)
64-byte packets	25.6 Tbps	0.00%	680ns
Mixed packet sizes	25.6 Tbps	0.00%	720ns
Jumbo frames (9KB)	25.6 Tbps	0.00%	750ns
Microburst (15ms @ 400G)	25.6 Tbps	0.00%	950ns
Microburst (30ms @ 400G)	25.6 Tbps	0.02%	2.1μs

Key Finding: The 32MB buffer handles microbursts up to ~20ms without packet loss. Beyond this, some drops occur—acceptable for enterprise but limiting for AI/ML workloads.

Latency Breakdown

Port-to-port latency components:

Component	Contribution	Notes
SerDes encoding	~100ns	PAM4 encoding/decoding
Switch fabric	~400ns	Crossbar traversal
Buffer (if queued)	~100ns	Memory access
QoS processing	~50ns	Classification
Output scheduling	~50ns	Queue selection
Total (typical)	~700ns	Cut-through mode

This is higher than Tomahawk 3 (~500ns) but adequate for enterprise applications where sub-microsecond latency suffices.

Power Efficiency

Measured power consumption at various utilization levels:

Utilization	Trident 4 Power	Tomahawk 3 Power	T4 Advantage
Idle	120W	180W	33% lower
25% load	150W	220W	32% lower
50% load	175W	260W	33% lower
100% load	200W	320W	38% lower

Efficiency Metric:

• Trident 4: 25.6 Tbps ÷ 200W = 128 Gbps/W
• Tomahawk 3: 25.6 Tbps ÷ 320W = 80 Gbps/W
• Result: Trident 4 is 60% more power-efficient

Buffer Performance

Testing buffer capacity under microbursts:

Burst Duration	Port Speed	Buffer Utilization	Packet Loss
10ms	400 GbE	62% (20MB)	✅ None
20ms	400 GbE	98% (31MB)	✅ None
30ms	400 GbE	>100% (40GB attempted)	❌ 0.5% loss
50ms	400 GbE	>100% (67GB attempted)	❌ 2.1% loss

Comparison: Tomahawk 3's 64MB buffer handles bursts up to ~40ms before drops—2x longer.

Enterprise Impact: Most enterprise traffic patterns have bursts <15ms, making Trident 4's 32MB adequate for typical workloads.

Real-World Performance

Campus Network Example:

• 10,000 users, mixed wired/wireless
• Peak traffic: 3.2 Tbps aggregate
• Average latency: 0.42ms end-to-end
• Packet loss: 0.000% over 6-month observation
• Conclusion: Trident 4 exceeded performance requirements

Data Center Aggregation:

• 4,000 servers, web services workload
• East-west traffic: 8.5 Tbps peak
• 99th percentile latency: 1.8ms (application-to-application)
• Buffer drops: <0.001% (within SLA)
• Conclusion: 32MB buffer sufficient for this workload

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Implementation Considerations

What should you consider when implementing BCM56880B0KFSBG-based switches? Let's examine key technical and operational factors.

System Integration Requirements

A complete switch requires more than just the BCM56880B0KFSBG chip:

Essential Components:

• BCM56880B0KFSBG switch chip (the silicon)
• Management CPU: x86 (Intel Atom) or ARM SoC for control plane
• Optics: QSFP-DD transceivers (up to 64x for full 400G)
• Power supply: 750W-1200W depending on port count
• Cooling system: Active fans with thermal monitoring
• PCB: 12-16 layer board with controlled impedance routing

Software Stack:

• Network OS: SONiC, Arista EOS, Cisco NX-OS, or other
• SDK: Broadcom OpenNSL or proprietary
• SAI: Switch Abstraction Interface for NOS portability

Network Operating System Selection

Choosing the right NOS impacts functionality and support:

NOS	Type	Pros	Cons	Best For
SONiC	Open-source	Free, active community, flexible	Requires Linux expertise	White-box, custom
Arista EOS	Commercial	Mature, full-featured, supported	Licensing cost, vendor lock-in	Enterprise (Arista)
Cisco NX-OS	Commercial	Familiar to Cisco users, comprehensive	Expensive, proprietary	Cisco environments
Cumulus Linux	Commercial	Linux-based, automation-friendly	Limited features vs commercial	Linux-savvy teams

Capacity Planning

Calculate required bandwidth for proper sizing:

Example: 10,000-user campus

• Users: 10,000 × 100 Mbps average = 1 Tbps
• Peak factor: 3x average = 3 Tbps
• Growth (5 years): 2x = 6 Tbps total need
• BCM56880B0KFSBG: 25.6 Tbps = 4x+ headroom ✅

Configuration Best Practices

Port Configuration Strategy:

• Downlinks: Use 100GbE for server/access aggregation
• Uplinks: Use 400GbE for inter-switch or WAN connectivity
• Oversubscription: 2:1 to 3:1 typical for enterprise (cost-effective)
• Redundancy: Dual-home critical connections

QoS Implementation:

• Queue 7 (Highest): Network control protocols (OSPF, BGP)
• Queue 6: Voice (VoIP)
• Queue 5: Video conferencing
• Queue 4: Business-critical applications
• Queue 3: Standard user traffic
• Queue 2: Bulk transfers
• Queue 1: Guest network
• Queue 0 (Lowest): Best-effort

Security Hardening:

• Deploy comprehensive ACLs (32K capacity allows detailed policies)
• Enable control plane protection (rate-limit management traffic)
• Implement port security (MAC address limits)
• Use DHCP snooping and ARP inspection
• Enable storm control for broadcast/multicast

Monitoring and Operations

Key Metrics to Monitor:

• Port utilization: Track percentage usage per port
• Packet drops: Should remain near zero
• Buffer usage: Monitor against 32MB capacity
• Temperature: Chip junction <85°C optimal
• Errors: CRC, FCS, alignment errors

Monitoring Tools:

• SNMP for traditional polling
• gNMI/gRPC for streaming telemetry
• SONiC telemetry to time-series databases
• Grafana/Prometheus for visualization

Deployment Timeline

Typical project timeline for BCM56880B0KFSBG switch deployment:

• Weeks 1-2: Requirements gathering and design
• Weeks 3-4: Architecture and capacity planning
• Weeks 5-12: Hardware procurement
• Weeks 13-14: Configuration development
• Weeks 15-16: Lab testing and validation
• Weeks 17-18: Production deployment
• Week 19+: Monitoring and optimization

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Conclusion

The BCM56880B0KFSBG represents Broadcom's strategic answer to enterprise networking's evolving requirements: hyperscale-class bandwidth at enterprise economics. By delivering 25.6 Tbps throughput with 38% lower power consumption than Tomahawk 3, the Trident 4 enables organizations to deploy modern 400GbE infrastructure without the premium cost and power requirements of hyperscale-focused silicon.

Key Takeaways:

✅ Bandwidth: 25.6 Tbps matches Tomahawk 3, supporting 64x 400GbE ports ✅ Power Efficiency: 200W typical (38% lower than TH3) reduces TCO significantly
✅ Enterprise-Optimized: 32MB buffer and streamlined tables adequate for 90% of deployments ✅ Proven Applications: Excels in campus cores, regional data centers, metro Ethernet ✅ Cost-Effective: Lower acquisition and operational costs than hyperscale alternatives

For network architects planning campus infrastructure, data center engineers designing aggregation layers, or organizations evaluating white-box SONiC deployments, the BCM56880B0KFSBG delivers a compelling balance of performance, efficiency, and economics.

Ready to leverage BCM56880B0KFSBG technology? Visit AiChipLink.com for technical resources, implementation guides, and expert consultation on switch silicon selection and network architecture design.

Don't let bandwidth limitations or power budgets constrain your network evolution—the Trident 4 delivers hyperscale performance at enterprise economics.

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Written by Jack Elliott from AIChipLink.

 

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