PCI-SIG Announces PCIe Optical Interconnect Solution

PCI-SIG announced a new optical interconnect specification revision to enable higher PCIe technology performance.

The Optical Aware Retimer Engineering Change Notice (ECN) amends the PCIe 6.4 specification and the new PCIe 7.0 specification to include a PCIe retimer-based solution, providing the 1st industry standardized way to implement PCIe technology over optical fiber.

“We saw a need for an industry standard optical interconnect based on PCIe technology and the Optical Aware Retimer ECN is the first step to add a modular optical solution,” said Al Yanes, president and chairperson, PCI-SIG. “We expect initial adoption to occur in data center applications like AI/ML and cloud. As PCIe technology becomes more widely available over time, we foresee innovative use cases across many market segments.”

Optical Aware Retimer ECN

• Enables various optical technologies for optical interconnection between existing PCIe 6.4 and 7.0 specification-compliant Switch, Root-Complex and Endpoint silicon designs
• Grants extended reach across racks and pods
• Allows multiplexing and data mapping across electrical and optical domains
• Enables more compact implementations than electrical copper solutions

The Optical Retimer ECN is available for PCI-SIG members to download in the PCIe 6.4 and 7.0 specifications. PCI-SIG invites interested parties to participate in its technical workgroups.