Keysight has introduced a PCIe 7.0 Protocol Test Solution aimed at bring-up, validation, debug, and PCI Express compliance testing at the protocol layer for next-generation devices and systems. The platform targets PCIe 7.0 operation at 128 GT/s, with Keysight pitching “instant link-up” and deep protocol visibility as ways to reduce validation risk and shorten development cycles for AI and data center infrastructure.
The PCIe 7.0 Protocol Test Solution combines a protocol analyzer, an exerciser, a test platform, and dedicated analysis software in a single workflow. Keysight is positioning the package for teams moving from early device bring-up through initial silicon validation, interoperability testing, and compliance testing against PCI Express specifications.
At 128 GT/s, link establishment and interoperability debugging can be a schedule killer, because you’re often chasing down problems across link training, encoding, error handling, and transaction behavior. Keysight’s bet is that reliable link-up without analyzer tuning—paired with detailed protocol-layer visibility—gets engineers to repeatable traces faster, which is what you need when you’re trying to isolate root causes before a redesign.
On the protocol visibility side, Keysight highlights access to link training and status state machine (LTSSM) behavior, FLIT-based encoding, protocol errors, and transaction-layer issues. The company also calls out “advanced signal integrity” as enabling reliable protocol trace capture without analyzer tuning, with the goal of accelerating “time to first measurement.”
Keysight also says the solution supports rack-level interconnects and backward compatibility to help teams validate next-generation scale-up architectures while “protecting existing test investments.” In practice, backward compatibility matters because PCIe validation labs rarely rip-and-replace all tooling in one generation; they tend to accumulate fixtures, scripts, and workflows across speeds and lane widths.
Synopsys and Keysight tied the launch to interoperability work between Synopsys PCIe 7.0 IP and Keysight’s protocol test equipment. “Establishing a reliable PCIe 7.0 link at 128 GT/s between production silicon and protocol test equipment is a key interoperability milestone,” said Neeraj Paliwal, Senior Vice President, Silicon IP Product Management at Synopsys. “Validating our silicon-proven Synopsys PCIe 7.0 IP solution with Keysight’s protocol solution means customers can commit to their next-generation AI and data center designs with confidence.”
“Successful PCIe 7.0 deployment depends on proven ecosystem interoperability alongside bandwidth advancements,” said Dr. Joachim Peerlings, Vice President of Network and Data Center Solutions at Keysight. “Our collaboration with Synopsys helps customers validate designs earlier, identify issues faster, and gain confidence in the readiness of next-generation silicon and systems.”
Keysight is also pointing to related PCIe 7.0 products, including its Protocol Analyzers Module for PCIe 7.0, protocol exercisers x16 for PCIe 7.0, a protocol test backplane for PCIe 7.0, a transmitter test solution for PCIe 7.0, and a receiver test application for PCIe 7.0.
Source: Keysight
