PCIe 5.0 switches double interconnect performance for machine learning and hyperscale computing applications

Applications such as data analytics, autonomous driving, and medical diagnostics are driving extraordinary demands for machine learning and hyper scale compute infrastructure. To meet these demands, Microchip Technology Inc. announced the world’s first PCI Express (PCIe) 5.0 switch solutions — the Switchtec PFX PCIe 5.0 family — doubling the interconnect performance for dense compute, high-speed networking, and NVM Express (NVMe) storage. Together with the XpressConnect retimers, Microchip is the industry’s only supplier of both PCIe Gen 5 switches and PCIe Gen 5 retimer products, delivering a complete portfolio of PCIe Gen 5 infrastructure solutions with proven interoperability. 

 

The Switchtec PFX PCIe 5.0 switch family comprises high density, high-reliability switches supporting 28 lanes to 100 lanes and up to 48 non-transparent bridges (NTBs). The Switchtec technology devices support high-reliability capabilities, including hot-and surprise-plug as well as secure boot authentication. With PCIe 5.0 data rates of 32 GT/s, signal integrity and complex system topologies pose significant development and debug challenges. To accelerate time-to-market, the Switchtec PFX PCIe 5.0 switch provides a comprehensive suite of debugging and diagnostic features including sophisticated internal PCIe analyzers supporting Transaction Layer Packet (TLP) generation and analysis and on-chip non-obtrusive SerDes eye capture capabilities. Rapid system bring-up and debug is further supported with ChipLink — an intuitive graphical user interface (GUI) based device configuration and topology viewer that provides full access to the PFX PCIe switch’s registers, counters, diagnostics, and forensic capture capabilities. 

 

Microchip has released a full set of design-in collateral, reference designs, evaluation boards, and tools to support customers building systems that take advantage of the high-bandwidth of PCIe 5.0. 

In addition to PCIe technology, Microchip also provides data center infrastructure builders worldwide with total system solutions including RAID over NVMe, storage, memory, timing and synchronization systems, stand-alone secure boot, secure firmware and authentication, wireless products, touch-enabled displays to configure and monitor data center equipment and predictive fan controls.

The Switchtec PFX PCIe 5.0 family of switches is sampling now to qualified customers.