The Xpress Transfer Protocol (XTP) is a lightweight transport protocol with unified internetwork services conforming to OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) layers 3 and 4. The Protocol Engine (PE) is a chip set designed to execute XTP and other protocols in real time. The author provides an overview of both developments. The VLSI strategy is shown, and the main technical issues in configuring an XTP/PE system at 1 Gbit/sec are described.