While artificial intelligence remains a core focus, semiconductor leader Broadcom has signaled its ambition to shape the next generation of wireless connectivity. The company recently unveiled BroadPeak (BCM85021), which it describes as the industry’s first digital front-end system-on-chip designed for 5G Advanced and future 6G mobile networks. This strategic move allows Broadcom to establish an early foothold in 6G technology, even as most competitors remain concentrated on current 5G deployments.
Technical Specifications and Efficiency Gains
Announced on February 19, 2026, the highly integrated BroadPeak SoC is engineered for massive MIMO and remote radio head applications. A key claimed advantage is its power efficiency; Broadcom states the chip consumes up to 40% less energy than existing solutions in these categories.
Fabricated using 5-nanometer CMOS technology, the component integrates digital front-end blocks and analog-to-digital converters onto a single die. It supports a frequency range from 400 MHz to 8.5 GHz, making it the first product to meet the technical requirements of upcoming 5G Advanced and 6G standards.
Performance metrics underscore its capabilities: the BCM85021 supports 32T32R8FB configurations, delivers an instantaneous bandwidth of up to 860 MHz, and achieves ADC/DAC sampling rates of 19.6 GS/s. According to Broadcom, the chip’s learning time for digital pre-distortion correction is 100 times faster than typical reference designs.
Vijay Janapaty, Vice President and General Manager of the Physical Layer Products Division at Broadcom, commented on the development. “As 5G New Radio expands into the 6 GHz spectrum and beyond, the underlying infrastructure must evolve in tandem,” he stated.
Collaborative Efforts to Drive Adoption
To ensure market readiness, Broadcom has secured partnerships with key industry players. FPGA specialist Altera has confirmed successful interoperability tests between its Agilex 7 FPGAs and the new BroadPeak SoC. Separately, Hitachi GlobalLogic is collaborating with Broadcom to develop a software development kit aimed at simplifying hardware complexity for massive MIMO, remote radio head, and Open RAN architectures.
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The company has already begun shipping samples to early-access customers and partners.
AI Semiconductor Business Maintains Momentum
This 6G announcement comes just ahead of Broadcom’s first-quarter 2026 earnings report, scheduled for March 4. For the quarter ended February 1, 2026, the company had previously guided for revenue of approximately $19.1 billion.
Its AI semiconductor segment continues to be a primary growth driver. For Q1, Broadcom projected AI chip revenue of $8.2 billion, which would represent a year-over-year doubling. This follows a strong performance in the fourth quarter of 2025, where AI semiconductor sales had already surged 74% compared to the prior year.
Broadcom’s clientele for AI accelerators includes Alphabet, which leverages Broadcom’s expertise for its Ironwood data center chips, as well as leading AI firms Anthropic and OpenAI.
The financial results on March 4 will reveal whether Broadcom has met its ambitious targets and if its early 6G offensive is resonating with investors.
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