PLDA XpressSWITCH IP for PCIe technology first ever switch soft IP to pass PCI-SIG's PCIe 4.0 compliance tests

PLDA XpressSWITCH IP passed all Gold and Interoperability tests as a Switch Component at PCIe 4.0 architecture speed (16 GT/s)

SAN JOSE, Calif. November 5th, 2020 -- PLDA, the industry leader in high-speed interconnect solutions, today announced that their XpressSWITCH™ IP is the Industry’s first switch Soft IP (SIP) to pass all Gold and Interoperability tests at the PCI-SIG® Compliance Workshop 115, held online in October 2020. The testing was conducted using PLDA XpressSWITCH IP for the PCI Express® (PCIe®) 4.0 specification, running on a FPGA based add-in card with both upstream and downstream ports operating at 16 GT/s.

PCI-SIG is the community responsible for developing and maintaining the standardized approach to peripheral component I/O data transfers. Their Compliance Workshops offer members the opportunity to test and validate their products before they enter the field. Testing is completed against PCI-SIG maintained systems, as well as other leading manufacturers of PCI Express technology products. Achieving Compliance Certification during these workshops provides assurance to chip designers that PLDA XpressSWITCH IP fully meets the rigorous PCIe 4.0 specification requirements.

Chip and system vendors understand the value there is to differentiate at the silicon level, and the trend now is to integrate more of the traditionally discrete pieces inside the chip. In particular when looking at PCIe technology switching which has become ubiquitous, there are definite advantages in integrating that functionality:

• It reduces the number of discrete components, which decreases the bill-of-material cost, reduces the number of points of failures, and simplify bring-up and debug
• It reduces power consumption by having fewer off-chip multi-gigabit links
• It reduces system latency
• It enables support for the latest PCIe specifications and ECNs therefore extending the lifespan of the SoC
• It allows for easier scaling given the configurable nature of the IP

According to Stephane Hauradou, CTO of PLDA “Successful completion of the PCI-SIG compliance testing at PCIe 4.0 architecture speeds for its XpressSWITCH IP is an important accomplishment for PLDA. We have long been at the forefront of the embedded PCIe Technology Switch offering, and are proud of our track record of silicon-proven PCIe 4.0 specification implementations. The achievement of compliance testing from PCI-SIG demonstrates the maturity of our XpressSWITCH IP.”

“We’re pleased PLDA achieved PCIe 4.0 compliance testing with its XpressSWITCH Controller IP,” said Al Yanes, PCI-SIG President and Chairman. “PLDA’s PCIe 4.0 compliant products facilitate interoperability, which contributes to the continued success of the PCI Express specification.”

Readers can check out XpressSWITCH for PCIe 4.0 technology entry on the PCI-SIG Integrators List.

More Information

For more information on PLDA switch IP solutions, please visit:

• XpressSWITCH product web page
• PLDA webinar “Building Smart Scalable Storage SoCs with Embedded PCIe Switching”

About PLDA

PLDA is a developer and licensor of Semiconductor Intellectual Property (SIP) specializing in high-speed interconnect supporting multi-gigabit rates (2.5G, 5G, 8G, 16G, 25G, 32G, 56G, 112G), and protocols such as PCI Express, CCIX, CXL, and Gen-Z. PLDA has established itself as a leader in that space with over 3,200 customers and 6,400 licenses in 62 countries. PLDA is a global technology company with offices in Silicon Valley, France, Bulgaria, Taiwan, and China.

About PCI-SIG

PCI-SIG is the consortium that owns and manages PCI specifications as open industry standards. The organization defines industry standard I/O (input/output) specifications consistent with the needs of its members. Currently, PCI-SIG is comprised of nearly 800 industry-leading member companies. To join PCI-SIG, and for a list of the Board of Directors, visit www.pcisig.com