The PCIe 7.0 fiber optic connection reaches an incredible speed of 128 GT/s

The PCIe 7.0 fiber optic connection reaches an incredible speed of 128 GT/s


Fiber optic interconnector for PCI Express 7.0 interface achieves impressive speeds of 128 GT/s, paving the way for the future of connection

At the beginning of June, the PCI-SIG hosted PCI-SIG DevCon 2024a conference where software developers technology of connectivity present their latest innovations. One of the highlights of the edition was the interconnector PCI Express 7.0 in optical fiber with speeds of 128 GT/s, a project that will be crucial for the evolution of high-speed solutions, especially in data centers.



Still in the concept validation phase, the functional prototype was presented by Cadence Desing Systems. In a real-world scenario example, the new interconnector demonstrated its capabilities to transmit and receive information, with very low latency and without the need for timers to step up and stabilize the signal on very long connections.

Interconnectors inside fiber optics has been in development for a long timebut until now there was no real market demand for this type of solution, which is expected to change soon The age of artificial intelligence.

PCIe 7.0 over fiber optics is the future

In addition to still being in development, fiber optic solutions for connectors are relatively more expensive, as most production lines are intended for this standard solutions, in copper. However, traditional electric tracks are subject to interference, signal loss and other problems, requiring complementary technologies such as retimers to be fully functional.




Cadence introduces the first functional PCIe 7 fiber optic interconnector design. (Image: Cadence/Disclosure)

Furthermore, signal transmission in metal circuits generates a lot of heat due to the operating principle itself, which can also compromise data integrity. This forces the adoption of more robust thermal solutions to ensure both this integrity and safe operating temperatures.

AS progress of AI data centers, the volume of data transmission, especially between clusters, is increasing. Therefore, enabling interconnectors like those presented by Cadence is one of the most logical solutions to provide faster connections than those possible on copper rails, already close to saturation, with greater data integrity, less signal loss, generating less heat and still consuming less energy. .

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Source: Terra

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