Broadcom Inc. introduces Wi‑Fi 8 access point and switch

Broadcom Inc. announced the industry’s first 802.11bn (Wi-Fi 8) (Wi‑Fi 8) Access Point (AP) and switch solution built on a unified, wireless‑first architecture; the company presented the offering as addressing rising demand for hybrid work while delivering performance, efficiency and security needed for next‑generation enterprise networking.

The transition to Wi‑Fi 8 was described as occurring alongside shifts in campus and enterprise technology. The announcement identified drivers that included growing hybrid work and higher uplink and downlink bandwidth demands, mounting adversarial Artificial Intelligence (AI) threats that require multi‑layered defenses, next‑generation AI factories needing ultra‑low latency and high reliability, and operating expense pressures for network upgrades.

The platform centered on the BCM49438 Accelerated Processing Unit (APU), which combined high‑performance computing, networking, and AI acceleration on a single silicon and paired with Broadcom’s BCM43840, BCM43844 and BCM43820 Wi‑Fi 8 radio chips. The company also introduced the Trident X3+ Ethernet switch (BCM56390) with multi‑gigabit PHYs (BCM84918, BCM54908, BCM54908E), PoE power sourcing equipment chips, a Secure Boot engine and a Hardware Root of Trust (HRoT), and the AP included an integrated Edge AI/ML engine that removed the need for a separate Neural Processing Unit (NPU) or coprocessor.

Broadcom described a unified architecture that combined the Wi‑Fi 8 AP platform, the BCM49438 APU, the Trident X3+ switch and multi‑gigabit PHY and PoE Prediction Service Endpoint (PSE) components to extend telemetry, end‑to‑end Media Access Control Security (MACsec) security on all ports, and wireless Time‑Sensitive Networking using 1588 Precision Time Protocol (PTP) for deterministic communication.

“As enterprises increasingly rely on AI for critical operations and security, the demand for a robust, intelligent, and secure network infrastructure has never been greater,” said Mark Gonikberg, senior vice president and general manager of Broadcom’s Wireless and Broadband Communications Division. “Our new end-to-end solution for enterprise Wi-Fi and switching, incorporating Wi-Fi 8, multi-gigabit Ethernet, and edge AI capabilities, provides the essential foundation for organizations to navigate risk and thrive in the AI era.”

Broadcom said it was sampling the complete enterprise Wi‑Fi 8 AP and switch solution, including the BCM49438 APU with Wi‑Fi 8 radio chips and the Trident X3+ BCM56390 switch with multi‑gigabit PHY and PoE PSE chips, to early access customers and partners.