PCI-SIG Confirms PCIe Gen 5.0 & Gen 6.0 Will Use New CopprLink Cables

PCI-SIG has announced the development of its next-gen PCIe Gen 5.0 & Gen 6.0 standards utilizing a brand new CopprLink cable design.

Although PCI-SIG isn't detailing the specifications or design changes with the new CopprLink cable, it is confirming the naming scheme. The CopprLink cables will come in both internal and external solutions based on the PCIe Gen 5.0 and Gen 6.0 hardware. According to PCI-SIG, the external and internal cable specifications are currently a work in progress and are targeting a release within this year. Following is the full press release:

PCI-SI Highlights PCIe Technology as the Interconnect of Choice for HPC at SC23

Members showcasing PCIe technology demos and new PCI Express Cable naming scheme announced

PCI-SIG announced the new naming scheme for PCIe Internal and External Cables will be CopprLink. The PCIe 5.0 and PCIe 6.0 Internal and External Cable Specifications are currently in development and are targeted for release in 2024.

View the PCIe technology demos at SC23

WHEN: Monday, November 13 – Thursday, November 16, 2023

WHERE: SC23 – Colorado Convention Center, Denver, CO • PCI-SIG Booth #1401

WHO: Members of PCI-SIG, the consortium that owns and manages PCI specification as open industry standards, will be showcasing PCI Express (PCIe) technology demonstrations at SC23 in booth #1401.

WHAT: PCI-SIG invites SC23 attendees to visit booth #1401 to view the demos and learn more about the PCIe technology ecosystem. The demonstrations highlight the role of PCIe technology as the high-speed I/O interconnect of choice for High-Performance Computing (HPC) applications. The participating companies include Astera Labs, Dolphin Interconnect Solutions, Synopsys, and Tektronix.

The demonstration highlights HPC applications so CopprLink should target the interface solutions as we are likely looking at interface cables rather than power cables to deliver optimal transfer bandwidth to various devices onboard next-gen platforms. The PCIe 6.0 platform will mark a doubling of transfer rates from 32 GT/s (Gen 5.0) to 64 GT/s (Gen 6.0). The new standard is also expected to deliver up to 256 GB/s of bandwidth across a x16 lane link.

In any case, if CopprLink is related to the power interface cables, then the company will try to fix some of the issues it encountered when designing the current 12VHPWR Gen 5.0 standard. Although the design was gradually optimized with the release of the 12V-2x6 standard, there still seems to be room for improvement, especially when thinking of future PCIe Gen 6.0 hardware.

But before we dive more into that side, it should be clarified once again that this announcement is specifically for interface cables that provide PCIe interlink over various ports. Expect more details on CopprLink PCIe Gen 5.0 and Gen 6.0 cables in the coming months.