NXP Semiconductors has teamed up with FatPipe Networks to bring the latter’s SD-WAN client for branch routers to NXP’s Layerscape 64-bit network processors. The goal of the pairing is to give operators and enterprises more choices when selecting branch router hardware for SD-WAN.

“NXP has a strong ecosystem of original design manufacturers providing white boxes based on our Layerscape family of network processors, which are often lower power-consuming and less expensive than existing X86 white box options,” wrote Jim Bridgwater, senior product manager at NXP, in response to questions.

“The biggest impact will be to enable lower-cost hardware that will make the benefits of SD-WAN accessible to a wider customer base,” Bridgwater explained.

Layerscape processors are built on ARM core technology and designed to support single-core networking up to 16-core devices transmitting 100 Gb/s, according to NXP. The Dutch chip company, which earned a $2 billion termination fee last year when Qualcomm abandoned its plan to acquire the company for $44 billion, is demonstrating various Layerscape platforms this week at the Computex event in Taipei, Taiwan.

FatPipe’s SD-WAN on Layerscape should be “particularly attractive to service providers operating in value-centric markets,” Bridgwater wrote. He declined to name any customers that are using FatPipe’s SD-WAN on Layerscape, but said the new white box is available for trials.

FatPipe Network’s CEO Ragula Bhaskar described it as the first SD-WAN available on an ARM-based processor. “The integrated platform offers improved performance for intelligent edge at remote offices and branch offices,” he said in a prepared statement.

The new pairing comes as SD-WAN continues to gain momentum and more enterprises are looking for service providers to help integrate SD-WAN across multiple IT requirements, according to a new survey commissioned by Cato Networks. Among the 1,621 IT professionals surveyed, 44% said they are considering deploying SD-WAN within the next year.

Moreover, the survey found that cost is no longer the primary factor for SD-WAN. One-third of the respondents said they are purchasing SD-WAN to address WAN-related costs, while improved internet access (46%), additional bandwidth (39%), and improved availability (38%) all scored higher as the primary motivations for SD-WAN, according to the survey.