Broadcom Inc. today introduced a new portfolio of interconnect modules based on the PCIe 6 networking technology.

The lineup includes a switch, as well as retimer chips that help boost the reliability of network connections. Broadcom also debuted a development platform dubbed IDP. Engineers can use it to ensure that PCIe 6 modules work well with the other hardware in the data centers where they’re deployed. 

PCIe is an interconnect standard for moving data between a computer’s internal components. In data centers, the technology is used to transmit packets between a server’s central processing unit and the attached graphics cards. PCIe 6 links can also move data to other components such as memory and flash chips.

Broadcom’s new products are based on PCIe 6, the latest iteration of the interconnect. It provides double the bandwidth of the previous generation for a total of 64 gigabits per second per lane. A single server CPU can have upwards of a dozen PCIe lanes, which are the individual network links that connect it to other chips.

The speed of PCIe 6 stems from the fact that it incorporates a technology called PAM4. The technology encodes the data being transmitted into the voltage of electrical signals. PAM4 encodes data into four different voltage levels, two more than PCIe 5, which allows it to provide twice the bandwidth. 

Faster connectivity is not the only improvement in PCIe 6. The technology also includes a low-power mode that switches off interconnect lanes while they’re not actively used to save electricity. Additionally, the firmware of a PCIe 6 device can generate a cryptographic key for the system that makes it easier to spot tempering attempts.

Broadcom’s new PCIe 6 portfolio includes a switch for coordinating the flow of network traffic in PCIe 6 links. The product lineup also includes a pair of retimer chips based on a five-nanometer manufacturing process. One supports up to eight lanes while the other can manage 16. 

Sending a piece of data over the network decreases its accuracy and creates errors. A retimer is a chip that intercepts the data snippets travelling over a network link, in this case PCIe 6 lanes, and removes any errors that emerged along the way. The chip then creates a fresh, error-free copy that it sends in place of the original to the target system. 

Retimers could prove particularly valuable for systems that use PCIe over optics. This is an emerging implementation of PCI that transmits data over fiber-optic cables in the form of light. In existing optical networks, digital data often goes through a retimer before it’s turned into light. 

Optical cables are more compact and flexible than traditional copper wires, which makes them easier to integrate into servers. Additionally, they can transmit data over longer distances. Those features make PCIe over optics particularly well-suited for use in artificial intelligence clusters. 

Alongside PCIe 6, Broadcom’s new retimers support CXL. It’s a version of PCIe specifically optimized to move data from CPUs to graphics cards and memory devices.

Broadcom is bringing its PCIe 6 modules to market alongside an Interop Development Platform, or IDP. It’s a system for checking that PCIe 6 modules work well with the other components in a server rack. The technology collects diagnostic data that makes it easier for engineers to spot errors. 

IDP is currently in early access. Broadcom says that multiple hyperscalers are already designing new AI systems based on its PCIe 6 portfolio. 

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