PCI-SIG has announced a revision to its PCI Express (PCIe) 6.4 and PCIe 7.0 specifications, introducing the Optical Aware Retimer Engineering Change Notice (ECN), the industry’s first standardized method of implementing PCIe technology over optical fiber. This initiative enables optical interconnectivity between PCIe-compliant switches, root complexes, and endpoint silicon, targeting high-performance workloads in data center, artificial intelligence (AI), and cloud computing environments.

The Optical Aware Retimer ECN supports various optical connection technologies, facilitating extended connectivity across racks and pods. The optical solution allows for multiplexing and data mapping across both electrical and optical domains, resulting in more compact and efficient configurations than traditional electrical copper cabling.

“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, PCI-SIG President and Chairperson. “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.”

PCI-SIG notes that the Optical Aware Retimer ECN documentation is available now for its members within the official PCIe 6.4 and PCIe 7.0 specifications. It also invites industry stakeholders to join its technical workgroups to contribute toward further development and adoption.

PCI-SIG oversees PCI specifications, maintaining them as open industry standards. Its membership currently includes approximately 1,000 leading technology companies.

Source: PCI-SIG