PCIe packet switches offer low power solutions

27th February 2019

Mick Elliott

0 0

Datasheet

The line of PCI Express (PCIe) Gen 2.0 solutions at Diodes Inc has been extended with four new 3- and 4-port, 4-lane packet switches, designed to meet the needs of 5G, IoT, and AI networks. They are well suited for applications such as 5G/LTE, Wi-Fi Routers, STB, security systems, IPC, NAS and other power-sensitive, high-performance networks.

The PI7C9X2G304SV, PI7C9X2G304EV, PI7C9X2G404SV, and PI7C9X2G404EV, featuring integrated clock buffers, provide cost-effective, low-power solutions to increase the fan-out of a PCIe port on application processors, SoCs, FPGAs, and chipsets targeting the embedded, networking, storage, PC, and consumer sectors.

The PI7C9X2G304SV and PI7C9X2G304EV offer 3-ports/4-lanes, while the PI7C9X2G404SV and PI7C9X2G404EV provide 4-ports/4-lanes.

All of the devices are compliant with: PCIe base specification (revision 2.1), PCIe CEM specification (revision 2.0), PCI-to-PCI bridge architecture specification (revision 2.1), system management bus (SMBus) specification, and the advanced configuration power interface (ACPI) specification.

PCI packet switches increase the fan-out of a PCI port. As well as providing either 3- or 4-ports and 4-lanes, the new devices offer extended virtual channel capability, providing two virtual channels and support for eight traffic class channels. The low power design keeps power dissipation down to as low as 300mW and even lower, at 35mW, during L1.1 D3 hot state.

Peer-to-peer switching between two downstream ports is also supported, with a typical latency of just 150ns for packets routed through the switches, without blocking. Unused downstream ports are automatically put into idle mode to further minimize power consumption.

The maximum payload is 512-byte and each port can be individually configured to deliver the optimal driver current and de-emphasis level. The parts also implement downstream port containment in the event of a sudden loss of power or other failure, which helps enable high availability in end systems. The devices feature an operating temperature range of -40°C to +85°C.

The PI7C9X2G304SV and PI7C9X2G404SV are available in the 128-pin LQFP package (14mm x 14mm) and the PI7C9X2G304EV and PI7C9X2G404EV are available in the 136-pin aQFN package (10mm x 10mm).