High-Speed Cable Solutions for PCIe® 5.0 Technology

PCI-SIG®, the organization responsible for the widely adopted PCI Express® (PCIe®) standard, announced the release of the CopprLink™ Internal and External Cable specifications on May 1st. These specifications extended the applications of PCIe channels, including applications such as storage, data center, artificial intelligence, machine learning and disassemble memory, etc.

It is reported that CopprLink™ cables can offer 32.0 GT/s (PCIe 5.0) and 64.0 GT/s (PCIe 6.0) data rates and utilize the SNIA standard connector form factor, which is a perfect blend of PCIe cabling and PCIe electrical base specification, providing longer channel reach and topological flexibility.

A table of PCI-SIG Cabling Initiatives since 2015 (Graphic: Business Wire)

“The CopprLink Cables are intended to evolve with the same connector form factors, scale for future PCIe technology generations and meet the demands of emerging applications. The Electrical Work Group has already begun pathfinding work on CopprLink Cables for PCIe 7.0 technology at 128.0 GT/s, showcasing PCI-SIG’s commitment to the CopprLink Cable specifications.” Al Yanes, PCI-SIG President and Chairperson said.

Zhaolong’s CDFPx16 (for PCIe 5.0)

Zhaolong’s Cable Solutions Compliant with CopprLink™ Internal and External Cable Specifications

At present, Zhaolong Interconnect already has comparatively abundant high-speed internal and external connection product solutions for server interconnection. Among them, Zhaolong's high-speed external cable solutions (e.g. SFF-1032 CDFP x16 Cable Assembly for PCIe 5.0) are mainly used in the expansion interconnection of GPU cards; and Zhaolong's high-speed internal cable solutions include SFF-TA-1016 MCIO 4X/8X/16X/24X Cable Assembly for PCIe 5.0, SFF-TA-1016 MCIO 4X/8X/16X/24X Assembly for PCIe 5.0, SFF-TA-1016 MCIO 4X/8X/16X/24X Cable Assembly for PCIe 6.0, SFF-TA-1016 MCIO 4X/8X/16X Connector for PCIe 5.0, SFF-TA-1016 MCIO 4X/8X/16X Connector for PCIe 6.0, SFF-TA-1016 MCIO 4X/8X/16X Connector for PCIe 5.0, SFF-TA-1016 MCIO 4X/8X/16X Connector for PCIe 6.0, etc.

The SFF-1016 MCIO (Small Form Factor 1016 Memory Controller Input/Output) internal cable is a standardized high-speed connection technology that is mainly used in a variety of computer systems that require efficient data transfer. Below are some specific application scenarios for SFF-1016 MCIO internal cables:

• Connection between CPU and Memory:

• The SFF-1016 MCIO internal cable can be used between the Central Processing Unit (CPU) and the modules of Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) , providing high-speed and stable data transfer and enhancing the overall system performance.

• Connection between CPU and accelerator:

• In applications that require high computing power, such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and high-performance computing (HPC), the SFF-1016 MCIO internal cable can be used to connect the CPU to a graphics processing unit (GPU) or a dedicated accelerator, ensuring high-speed data transfer and low latency.

Zhaolong’s MCIO 4X/8X/16X SI Test Fixture For PCIe 5.0/6.0 SI High-frequency Test Fixture

PS. More Zhaolong’s high-frequency test fixtures, pls. Refer to ZhaolongInterconnect’s official website.

• Direct Communication between Processors:

• In multiprocessor systems, the SFF-1016 MCIO internal cables can be used for direct connections between processors, supporting fast data exchange and cooperative work and reducing data transfer bottlenecks.

• High-speed Storage System Connection:

• The SFF-1016 MCIO internal cable can be used to connect high-speed storage devices such as Solid State Drives (SSDs) and NVM (Non-Volatile Memory) devices to ensure fast data reads and writes. And the cable is suitable for data-intensive applications.

• Server and Data Center’s Internal Communication:

• In servers and data centers, the SFF-1016 MCIO internal cable can be used for data transfer between different compute modules, storage modules, and network modules, optimizing the efficiency of internal communication and improving overall performance.

• Embedded System:

• In embedded systems, SFF-1016 MCIO internal cables can be used to connect different processing units and peripheral devices to ensure efficient system operation and data processing capability.

Some of Zhaolong SFF-1016 MCIO Internal Cables

• High-bandwidth Applications:

• The SFF-1016 MCIO internal cable is suitable for applications that require high bandwidth and low latency, such as video processing, scientific computing, and data analysis, to ensure fast data transfer and processing.

• Enterprise-grade storage and computing devices:

• In enterprise-grade storage and computing devices, SFF-1016 MCIO internal cables can be used to connect high-performance processors and storage systems to support large-scale data processing and efficient storage management.

These application scenarios demonstrate the importance and diverse applications of the SFF-1016 MCIO internal cable in a variety of computer systems that require high-speed and efficient data transfer.

Zhaolong’s MCIO Cable Assembly & CDFP x16 to CDFP x16

MCIO Cable Assembly provided by Zhaolong has the following features:

• Support 30AWG, 1m long-distance applications

• Offer customized solutions

• 0.6mm connector pin-pitch, 1.5mm--4.2mm connector-shell length

• 30~34AWG, with 85ohm differential impedance design

Zhaolong's SFF-1016 MCIO Connector

• SI standard compliant with Internal Cable Specification for PCI Express 5.0 and 6.0 Rev0.7

• Provide 4X (38Pos) , 8X (74Pos), 16X (124Pos) & 24X (148 Pos)

• Straight (STR) / Right-angle (R/A) & Left-Side-Exit-to-Right-Side-Exit(LSE/RSE) connectors are available.

• Structure & Dimensions are totally in accordance with SFF-TA-1016 (MCIO) standard.

  
  

Zhaolong MCIO 5.0 & 6.0 SI Test Result

• Supports PCI-e 5.0 32 GT/s standard, backward compatible with PCI-e 4.0. Zhaolong's SFF-1016 MCIO Connector
  

• Adopt Zhaolong self-developed LONGSPEED™ HSC bare copper wire, which is low-loss & high-SI-performance.

Zhaolong’s CDFP x16 to CDFP x16 features are as follows:

• Self-developed LONGSPEED™ HSC bare copper wire with low power consumption (maximum power consumption is not expected to exceed 0.125 watts);

• SFF-TA-1032 MSA compliant, supports PCIe®Gen 5.0 standard;

• Data transfer rate meets PCIe 5.0 32GT/s per channel and exceeds 32GT/channel electrical performance requirements;

• Cable Construction: Loose conductors with metal layer and PET braided layer, 0.5-2.0 meter lengths are available, 28AWG and 30 AWG LSZH outer jacket products , 0-70°C applications.