US-based MaxLinear has introduced Carmel, MxL81434, a high-speed universal serial bus to universal asynchronous receiver-transmitter (USB-to-UART) product designed for use in AI data centres and hyperscale cloud environments.
The device aims to support console access, monitoring, system bring-up, debugging and infrastructure management in modern server and rack-scale management designs.
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It also incorporates 1024-byte transmit and receive FIFOs, which are intended to help maintain throughput and reduce the workload on host processors.
The device provides ±15kV human body model (HBM) electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection to suit demanding data centre environments.
According to MaxLinear, the USB-to-UART market is estimated to have a serviceable available market of around 200 million units, influenced by the continued rollout of AI data centre deployments worldwide.
Carmel extends the company’s existing portfolio, which already includes Coronado and Laguna, to address increasing needs for high-performance console access, debug, monitoring, and platform management in next-generation infrastructure.
MaxLinear analog mixed-signal business unit senior vice-president and general manager Amit Bavisi said: “As AI infrastructure scales, the performance requirements for console access, debug, and platform management continue to increase.
“Carmel delivers high-speed USB-to-UART connectivity, combining 480Mbps bandwidth, four UART channels supporting up to 15Mbps each, integrated I²C management, 32 GPIOs, large FIFOs, and robust ESD protection to support low-latency access and reliable operation in next-generation AI data centres.”
The product targets applications including AI servers, accelerator platforms, rack-scale systems, universal baseboards, hyperscale cloud infrastructure, and enterprise data centres.
Samples of Carmel are anticipated to be available in the fourth quarter of 2026.
MaxLinear provides radio frequency, analogue, digital, and mixed-signal integrated circuits for a range of access, connectivity, and industrial applications.
