What is Enterprise SONiC distribution by Broadcom?
Introduction
Generative AI has been evolving remarkably in recent years, but supporting it requires not only massive GPU resources, but also a much broader network infrastructure than currently exists.
If this can be achieved using high-performance network equipment and comprehensive support is available from the vendor, it can be said to be a major advantage in terms of operation.
In this article, we will introduce Enterprise SONiC distribution by Broadcom (hereinafter referred to as Broadcom SONiC), which we have recently started handling.
There are other articles related to Open Networking, so please check out the articles that interest you by clicking on the "List of articles here" below.
About Broadcom SONiC
Broadcom SONiC is a commercial network operating system based on the Community version of SONiC, which Broadcom has developed to enhance functionality and robustness for high-bandwidth networks such as data centers (DCs), and is currently being introduced in Japan.
By combining it with a white Box switch equipped with Broadcom ASIC, you can enjoy benefits such as end-to-end support from the vendor and the use of uniquely implemented enhancement functions.
For an overview of Broadcom, please see this webpage.
The table below briefly summarizes the differences between Broadcom SONiC and the Community version of SONiC.
|
Broadcom SONiC |
Community Edition SONiC |
|
|
Where to get it |
Broadcom |
Free distribution from GitHub |
|
Vendor Support |
Yes (Complete support from Broadcom) |
none |
|
Support Features |
◎ |
〇 |
|
Supports industry standard commands |
◎ |
△ |
Multi-vendor support
Broadcom SONiC supports white Box switches from various vendors equipped with Broadcom 's high-performance ASICs, Trident (TD) and Tomahawk (TH) series, and achieves optimization at the hardware level by tuning the settings.
It also supports white Box switches with 400G/800G interfaces, allowing you to use Broadcom SONiC in the high-bandwidth environments required for DC and AI fabrics.
Broadcom SONiC supports the following white Box switches:
| vendor | Device model number | Port configuration | Chip |
| Edgecore | AS4630-54TE | 48 x 1G(RJ45) + 4 x 25G + 2 x 100G | BCM56371 (TD3-X3) |
| AS4630-54PE | 48 x 1G(PoE) + 4 x 25G + 2 x 100G | BCM56371 (TD3-X3) | |
| AS4625-54P | 48 x 1G + 6 x 10G | BCM56277 (TD3-X2) | |
| AS4630-54NPE | 36 x 2.5G + 12 x 10G + 4 x 25G + 2 x 100G | BCM56370 (TD3-X3) | |
| AS7326-56X | 48 x 25G + 8 x 100G | BCM56873 (TD3-X7) | |
| AS7726-32X | 32 x 100G | BCM56870 (TD3-X7) | |
| AS5835-54X | 48 x 10G(SFP+) + 6 x 100G | BCM56771 (TD3-X5) | |
| AS5835-54T | 48 x 10G(RJ45) + 6 x 100G | BCM56771 (TD3-X5) | |
| AS7816-64X | 64 x 100G | BCM56970 (TH2) | |
| AS9716-32D | 32 x 400G | BCM56980 (TH3) | |
| AS9726-32D | 32 x 400G | BCM56880 (TD4-X11) | |
| AS9736-64D | 64 x 400G | BCM56990(TH4) | |
| AIS800-64D | 64 x 800G QSFP-DD | BCM78900 (TH5) | |
| AIS800-64O | 64 x 800G OSFP | BCM78900 (TH5) | |
| Micas | M2-W6930-64QC | 64 x 400G | BCM56990 (TH4) |
| M2-W6920-32QC | 32 x 400G + 2 x 10G | BCM56980 (TH3) | |
| M2-W6940-128QC | 128 x 400G, QSFP112 | BCM78900 (TH5) | |
| M2-W6940-64OC | 64 x 800G (OSFP) | BCM78900 (TH5) | |
| M2-W6510-32C | 32 x 100G | BCM56870 (TD3-X7) | |
| M2-W6510-48V8C | 48 x 25G + 8 x 100G | BCM56870 (TD3-X7) | |
| M2-W6510-48GT4V | 48 x 1G + 4 x 25G | BCM56274 (TD3-X2) | |
| M2-6520-24DC8QC | 24 x 200G QSFP56 + 8 x 400G QSFP-DD | BCM56780 (TD4-X9) | |
| Ufispace | S8901-54XC | 48 x 25G + 6 x 100G | BCM56770 (TD3-X5) |
| S9110-32X | 32 x 100G | BCM56870 (TD3-X7) | |
| S6301-56ST | 48 x 10/100/1000 BASE-T + 8 x 1G/10G SFP/SFP+ | BCM56274 (TD3-X2) | |
| S9321-64E | 64 x 800G QSFPDD | BCM78900 (TH5) | |
| S9300-32D | 32 x 400G QSFP-DD | BCM56880 (TD4-X11) |
*The above is an example.
*The red text indicates a white Box switch that supports 400G/800G.
A complete, comprehensive solution
The software used in Broadcom SONiC includes components developed and provided exclusively by Broadcom (shown in red in the diagram below), making it one of the company's attractions the ability to receive comprehensive support from a single vendor.
Broadcom is also a contributor to the Community version of SONiC and has extensive knowledge of SONiC. This allows support for the entire SONiC platform to be provided by a single vendor, helping to reduce the time required to resolve operational issues and problems.
Functionality implementation for DC and AI fabric applications
Broadcom SONiC offers multiple packages depending on your application.
An Enterprise package is available for DC and an AI package is available for AI Fabric, each of which supports the following functions:
Enterprise Package
・Underlay function: eBGP, ZTP, QoS, ACL etc.
・Overlay function: BGP EVPN, VXLAN etc.
・Enterprise features: RPVST+, IP Multicast, etc.
・Telemetry function: BST Threshold monitoring and snapshots
AI Package
・Compatible with Tomahawk 4/5
RoCEv2 (PFC, ECN), QPN-based ECMP hashing, ECMP enhancements
・ L3 VXLAN (TH5), DLB (TH4/TH5)
For an overview of each package, please see this website.
Enhanced Features
Broadcom SONiC enhances the functionality of the Community version of SONiC by implementing the redundancy, performance, and security functions required for practical operation in conjunction with the Broadcom ASIC.
Below are some of the enhanced features implemented in Broadcom SONiC:
|
Functionality Category |
Broadcom SONiC additions and enhancements (as of March 1, 2026) |
|
Fault resolution |
Fast Link Failover (TH5) |
|
routing |
Inter-VRF Route Leaking (HW processing) |
|
Traffic Control |
Weighted ECMP (UCMP) |
|
Traffic Stability |
Resilient Hashing |
|
L2 Extension |
L2 Protocol Tunneling (LACP/CDP/LLDP) |
|
Routing Control |
BGP Max‑Prefix (Route Drop) |
|
Security |
PKI Enhancements |
|
Operation/ HW |
LPO Optics Qualification |
The next version will build on the established stability and practicality of the platform, strengthening its foundation with an eye toward next-generation data centers and AI fabrics.
Rather than focusing on adding individual functions, we plan to improve reliability and scalability suitable for long-term operation by evolving the entire OS and platform to flexibly accommodate future increases in speed and scale, and by supporting new hardware generations.
Summary
This time we introduced Broadcom SONiC provides an industry-standard user interface, and also ASIC By combining it with high-performance, wide-bandwidth network equipment equipped with Broadcom You can maximize the value of the solutions provided by.
By leveraging the compatibility of hardware and software, we have achieved operational efficiency, optimized performance, and improved reliability. Broadcom SONiC This is our strength.
At the end
Macnica offers a free remote verification service that allows testing and verification of open networks, including Broadcom SONiC.
If you are considering a white Box switch, would like to try out Broadcom SONiC, or would like to build and test a simple network, you can use this service to alleviate concerns that "it's difficult to get started with SONiC."
If you are considering using our remote verification service, please feel free to contact us.
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