Ian Simmons launched Kicking the Seat in 2009, one week after seeing Nora Ephron’s Julie & Julia. His wife proposed blogging as a healthier outlet for his anger than red-faced, twenty-minute tirades (Ian is no longer allowed to drive home from the movies).
The Kicking the Seat Podcast followed three years later and, despite its “undiscovered gem” status, Ian thoroughly enjoys hosting film critic discussions, creating themed shows, and interviewing such luminaries as Gaspar Noé, Rachel Brosnahan, Amy Seimetz, and Richard Dreyfuss.
Ian is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association. He also has a family, a day job, and conflicted feelings about referring to himself in the third person.
The is a specialized Broadcom semiconductor—specifically the industry's first IEEE 802.3ch-compliant automotive multigigabit Ethernet PHY [5.7, 5.16]. It is designed for high-performance automotive networking, supporting data rates of 2.5G, 5G, and 10G over a single shielded twisted-pair cable [5.8, 5.16]. Core Technical Specifications
As a part of Broadcom's industry-first BCM8989X family, the BCM89890 is a fully compliant 10G/5G/2.5GBASE-T1 Ethernet transceiver designed to handle the most demanding automotive applications. This article provides a comprehensive deep dive into the architecture, capabilities, applications, and ecosystem of this market-leading semiconductor solution.
To optimize fuel and battery efficiency, the transceiver supports several low-power modes when systems are idle. However, safety systems must activate instantly when the ignition turns on. The BCM89890 offers ultra-fast link-up initialization times. This ensures safety sensors communicate the millisecond the car boots up. Comparison: BCM89890 vs. Previous Gen Automotive PHYs BCM89890 (Multi-Gig) BCM89884 (Gigabit) BCM89810 (Fast Ethernet) 10 Gbps IEEE Standard IEEE 802.3ch IEEE 802.3bp IEEE 802.3bw / BroadR-Reach Cabling Shielded Twisted-Pair (STP) UTP or STP Unshielded Twisted-Pair (UTP) Integrated MACsec Yes (128/256-bit AES) No (Available on 'M' variant) Host Interfaces SGMII, MII Primary Applications in Modern Vehicles
This demonstration proved that the BCM89890, combined with qualified cabling and connectors (like the Rosenberger H-MTD series used in some test systems), can reliably achieve the full 15-meter range specified by the IEEE 802.3ch standard, even in the presence of multiple connection points.
This device is specifically designed for the demanding, high-bandwidth environment of modern, connected, and autonomous vehicles (AVs). Key Features and Capabilities The bcm89890
For autonomous driving and safety-critical functions, data delay can cause system failures. The BCM89890 implements precision PHY-layer timestamping that complies with and IEEE 802.1AS standards. This hardware-level timing sync keeps sub-systems perfectly coordinated with minimal latency. 4. Low-Power Management and Fast Link-Up
: Supports 2.5GBASE-T1, 5GBASE-T1, and 10GBASE-T1 [5.8, 5.9].
This is the primary driver for multi-gigabit Ethernet. Applications like high-resolution camera feeds, 4D imaging radar, and Lidar generate massive data streams that must be processed in near real-time. The BCM89890 provides the low-latency, high-bandwidth links necessary to connect these sensors to powerful domain controllers.
Furthermore, the integration of security at the physical layer ensures that data-sensitive systems, such as autonomous braking or steering commands, remain protected from hackers—a critical requirement as cars become increasingly connected to the internet. This article provides a comprehensive deep dive into
From a firmware perspective, the BCM89890 is controlled via an or RMII (Reduced MII) . Most automotive operating systems—AUTOSAR Classic, Adaptive AUTOSAR, QNX, and Linux—include native support for the Generic PHY framework, but for advanced features like cable diagnostics or sleep/wake, proprietary register access is needed.
It utilizes a standard or SGMII for connecting to MAC layers (usually an Ethernet Switch or a System-on-Chip), making it compatible with a wide range of automotive processors.
The is the world’s first IEEE 802.3ch compliant automotive multigigabit Ethernet PHY transceiver , providing data transmission speeds of 2.5 Gbps, 5 Gbps, and 10 Gbps over a single pair of Shielded Twisted-Pair (STP) cables. Manufactured by Broadcom Inc. , this AEC-Q100 qualified chip serves as the hardware foundation for high-bandwidth in-vehicle networking , supporting critical applications such as Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), 4D radar, LiDAR, and centralized zonal gateways. Key Technical Specifications
utilize it for EMC functional testing by converting electrical signals to optical fiber to avoid electromagnetic interference. Automotive Ethernet PHYs optoLAN 10GBASE-T1 BCM89890 The BCM89890 offers ultra-fast link-up initialization times
: Providing the high bandwidth required for high-resolution sensors and cameras.
Before diving into use cases, let’s outline the core technical data sheet highlights of the BCM89890:
If you’re designing a zonal architecture, you have three choices: CAN-FD (slow), 1000BASE-T1 (fast but power-hungry), or 100BASE-T1.
The is a pioneering multigigabit Ethernet PHY (Physical Layer) transceiver specifically engineered for the rigorous demands of the automotive industry . As the world’s first IEEE 802.3ch compliant device, it supports high-speed data rates of 2.5G, 5G, and 10Gbps over a single pair of shielded twisted-pair (STP) cables. This technology is a cornerstone for modern vehicle architectures, enabling the massive data throughput required for autonomous driving and advanced infotainment. Core Technical Specifications