NXP Semiconductors T4240NSN7QTB

Overview

T4240NSN7QTB from NXP Semiconductors (formerly Freescale) is a 24-thread, 12-core Power Architecture® e6500-based multicore processor targeting high-throughput control and data plane consolidation in networking and telecom infrastructure. It operates at up to 1.8 GHz, integrates dual Frame Managers (FMAN) supporting up to 16 × 1 GbE + 4 × 10 GbE MACs, and includes hardware accelerators for cryptography (SEC 5.0, up to 40 Gbps), regex (PME 2.1, up to 10 Gbps), and compression/decompression (DCE 1.0, up to 20 Gbps). It is deployed in intelligent NICs, NFV platforms, and ATCA-based services blades.

For engineers reviewing the T4240NSN7QTB datasheet, T4240NSN7QTB pinout, T4240NSN7QTB application, or T4240NSN7QTB equivalent, key selection considerations include its 1932-pin FC-PBGA package, triple DDR3/3L memory controllers (192 GB max, ECC-enabled), CoreNet coherency fabric bandwidth (1.46 Tbps read), DPAA v2.0 scheduling hierarchy, and hardware virtualization support with hypervisor privilege level and IOMMU-based DMA protection.

Technical Context

The T4240NSN7QTB implements three clusters of four dual-threaded e6500 cores sharing 2 MB L2 cache each (6 MB total), with AltiVec SIMD units per core and 7-stage pipelines enabling 10,800 DMIPS/core. Its CoreNet coherency fabric supports 40-bit physical addressing, hierarchical interconnect prioritization, and cache intervention across remote L2 banks-eliminating flush-and-retry latency for cross-cluster cache misses.

DPAA v2.0 is tightly integrated: Frame Manager parses/classifies packets at up to 50 Gbps, Queue Manager schedules work across 24 vCPUs or accelerators using multilevel QoS-aware queues, and BMan handles buffer allocation/deallocation. Accelerators are accessed via dedicated on-chip fabric paths-not PCIe-ensuring deterministic latency for crypto, regex, and DCE operations.

Key Specifications

Pinout & Package

Package: 1932-pin flip-chip plastic ball grid array (FC-PBGA), 45 mm × 45 mm, JEDEC-compliant, 0–105°C junction temperature rating.

Key Features

Applications

Equivalent & Alternatives

The following parts are listed as comparable options for similar multicore communications processor applications.

Compared with T4240NSN7QTB, T4160NSN7QTB offers identical architecture and pinout at lower thread count and frequency-ideal for cost-optimized drop-in replacement-while LS2088A represents a generational shift to ARMv8 with distinct software stack requirements and no direct hardware accelerator parity.

Availability

T4240NSN7QTB is available at Aetrix Electronics and suitable for NFV platform development, ATCA-based telecom infrastructure, and intelligent NIC design requiring stable component supply, long-term lifecycle support, and traceable sourcing.

Supply support for T4240NSN7QTB includes scheduled delivery planning, volume procurement assistance, BOM continuity management, traceable sourcing, and lifecycle availability coordination for OEM customers, industrial embedded developers, connected-device designers, and electronics production programs.

Manufacturer

NXP Semiconductors is a global semiconductor company formed from the spin-off of Philips' semiconductor division and later the acquisition of Freescale Semiconductor in 2015. It focuses on secure connectivity solutions for automotive, industrial, and communications markets.

The QorIQ T4 family-including T4240NSN7QTB-was designed specifically for high-performance, integrated control and data plane processing in carrier-grade networking, telecom infrastructure, and mission-critical embedded systems.

FAQ

What is the maximum DDR3 data rate supported by the T4240NSN7QTB?

The T4240NSN7QTB supports up to 1867 MT/s DDR3 data transfer rate across its three 64-bit memory controllers. This corresponds to a theoretical peak bandwidth of approximately 44.8 GB/s (1867 × 8 × 3 bytes). Each controller supports ECC, interleaving, and page-mode optimizations to sustain high utilization under real-world traffic patterns. The T4240NSN7QTB also supports DDR3L at 1600 MT/s for thermally constrained deployments.

Does the T4240NSN7QTB support hardware virtualization for guest OS isolation?

Yes, the T4240NSN7QTB includes comprehensive hardware virtualization features: a dedicated hypervisor privilege level, Logical-to-Real Address Translation (LRAT) acceleration, and IOMMU-enforced DMA memory protection. These capabilities allow secure, low-overhead isolation of guest environments-enabling concurrent operation of KVM, Linux containers, and commercial hypervisors like Wind River Helix Virtualization Platform. The T4240NSN7QTB's PAMU further restricts peripheral access per partition.

How many 10 GbE interfaces does the T4240NSN7QTB support, and what physical layer options are available?

The T4240NSN7QTB supports up to four 10 GbE interfaces via its dual Frame Managers. These can be configured as XFI (10GBase-KR), XAUI, or HiGig2 MACs. Physical layer connectivity depends on SerDes lane assignment: XFI uses 1-lane 10.3125 Gbps SerDes; XAUI uses 4-lane 3.125 Gbps SerDes. The T4240NSN7QTB does not integrate 10GBase-T PHYs-external PHYs (e.g., QuadPHY) are required for copper 10GBASE-T support.

What is the role of the Prefetch Manager (PMan) in the T4240NSN7QTB memory subsystem?

The Prefetch Manager (PMan) in the T4240NSN7QTB monitors CPC cache misses to trigger intelligent, confidence-based DDR prefetching. It tracks consecutive misses in configurable memory regions and adjusts aggressiveness based on consumption feedback-prefetching further ahead when data is used, slowing or stopping when stride changes or prefetched data goes unused. This improves effective DDR read bandwidth without increasing controller complexity or power, directly addressing memory bottlenecks in multicore packet processing.

Can the T4240NSN7QTB operate with DDR3L memory, and what voltage is required?

Yes, the T4240NSN7QTB supports DDR3L memory at up to 1600 MT/s with a nominal 1.35 V supply on the VDD_DDR rails. It maintains full backward compatibility with standard DDR3 (1.5 V) and allows mixed-voltage configurations across its three DDR controllers. The memory controllers automatically detect and configure timing parameters based on SPD data or firmware-provided settings, ensuring reliable operation across both DDR3 and DDR3L modules.