PCIe 7.0 ‘Latest Draft’ Specification Released

PCI-SIG has published the PCIe 7.0 specification version 0.9, which means the final version is coming soon. In its current form, the PCIe 7.0 specification is in “final draft” status, meaning no further changes to the standard are expected before its launch. Barring last-minute revisions from PCI-SIG members, the PCIe 7.0 standard is ready to go.

Image source: PCI-SIG

PCIe 7.0 will offer four times the bandwidth of PCIe 5.0, which is used in modern PCs. This means faster storage, graphics cards, and AI accelerators. The final version of PCIe 7.0 is expected to be released in 2025. Here are the key features of the standard:

• Data transfer rate – 128 GT/s and up to 512 GB/s in both directions with x16 configuration;
• Use of a pulse amplitude modulation scheme with four signal levels (PAM4);
• Emphasis on channel parameters and coverage area;
• Ensuring low latency and high reliability;
• Increasing energy efficiency;
• Maintaining backward compatibility with all previous versions of PCIe.

The PCI Express (PCIe) specification 7.0 version 0.9 is the final draft that PCI-SIG members use to verify the technology against their patents; no additional functional changes are expected, confirmed PCI-SIG President and Chairman Al Yanes. The organization aims to double the PCIe standard’s bandwidth every three years, freeing its members from having to look for alternatives when higher speeds are needed.

Many computers continue to work with PCIe 4.0, and it is easy to calculate that a full-size PCIe 4.0 x16 has the same bandwidth as PCIe 7.0 x2. The new standard will allow the creation of M.2 solid-state drives with a sequential read speed of up to 50 GB/s. PCIe 7.0 will also be useful in the field of artificial intelligence, offering high bandwidth not only for accelerators, but also for network adapters. In practice, PC manufacturers have not yet even mastered PCIe 6.0, but having an approved next-generation standard will allow them to avoid spending on their own solutions if the capabilities of PCIe 6.0 are insufficient. Support for backward compatibility will help prevent market fragmentation.

Devices supporting PCIe 7.0 will likely not hit the market until 2027–2028. Once this standard is approved, development will begin on PCIe 8.0, which is expected to offer 1 TB/s of throughput using x16 lanes.