Data repeater extends links for PCIe 4.0, as well as 3.0, 2.0 and 1.0

Called PI3EQX16904GL, and branded a ReDriver by the firm, the device supports four 100Ω differential current mode logic (CML) data I/Os, providing programmable linear equalisation, output swing, and gain to reduce inter-symbol interference over a variety of physical media.

“It is the industry’s first available ReDriver to support PCIe 4.0 while being backward-compatible with PCIe 3.0 – 2.0 – 1.0,” said Diodes. “Using equalisation, pre-emphasis, and other technologies, a single ReDriver can adjust and correct for known channel losses at the transmitter and restore signal integrity at the receiver. This enables reliable communications with low bit-error rates.”

One channel of four

It operates over 3.3V±0.3V and -40˚C to +85˚C, and comes in a 9mm x 3.5mm 42 contact TQFN.

Target applications include storage and AI servers, workstations, 5G networking, CPU-to-network (PCIe NIC card) and CPU-to-storage (NVME) interconnects, and CPU-to-CPU interconnects within compute clusters

Almost nothing else is being revealed about the device – the available data brief is indeed most brief, and the data sheet is only available through a request process.