Starlink selects Israeli chipmaker Xsight for V3 satellite network
X2 Ethernet switch to serve as core networking component.
Israeli semiconductor company Xsight Labs has been selected by Starlink to supply the core networking silicon for its next-generation V3 satellites, according to an announcement by the two companies.
Starlink will use Xsight’s X2 programmable Ethernet switch as the high-speed networking core inside its V3 satellites, which are designed to deliver more than one terabit per second of fronthaul throughput, more than ten times the capacity of the current V2 Mini satellites, along with about 160 gigabits per second of uplink capacity.
Starlink’s satellite network processes large volumes of real-time data, including inter-satellite optical link traffic, orbital mesh routing, adaptive beam steering and high-throughput downlinks to users on the ground. The X2 chip will handle switching and routing functions required to support these workloads within each satellite.
Xsight said the X2 delivers 12.8 terabits per second of switching capacity using 100-gigabit-per-second SerDes and is manufactured using TSMC’s 5-nanometer process. The chip’s programmable architecture allows it to adapt to changing networking requirements in orbit. According to the company, the chip has passed environmental qualification tests covering vibration, radiation, temperature and thermal stress.
“Starlink demands next-generation networking capabilities to quickly expand access to high-speed internet all around the world,” said Michael Nicolls, vice president of Starlink Engineering at SpaceX, adding that the X2 chip would support the routing requirements of the next generation of satellites.
Xsight CEO Yossi Meyouhas said the company’s technology was designed to operate under the constraints of low-Earth-orbit satellite systems, including high data throughput and harsh environmental conditions.
Xsight Labs was founded in 2017 by Guy Koren, Erez Sheizaf and Gal Malach, all former employees of EZchip, the Israeli network processor company acquired by Mellanox in 2016 for $811 million. The company develops chipsets for high-performance communications systems.
Since its founding, Xsight has raised more than $150 million across four funding rounds. Its first round was led by Israeli tech entrepreneur Avigdor Willenz, followed by a second round led by Intel and Microsoft. A third round completed in 2020, which raised more than $50 million, was led by Intel.
Starlink is operated by SpaceX and provides broadband internet through a constellation of low-Earth-orbit satellites. The V3 satellites are part of the company’s efforts to significantly increase network capacity and performance as it expands global coverage.
