Riser Cards: 2U / 3U
Enabling Multi-Connector, Plug-and-Play Interoperability
RT = Retimer
Requirements & Challenges
- Form-factor translation to accommodate full-height or extra half-height PCIe® add-in cards (AICs) in 2U and 3U systems
- Server base board requires more x16 CEM slots to support various NIC, HBA, FGPA, and other AICs in heterogeneous compute architecture
- Passing through an additional connector at PCIe 4.0 and PCIe 5.0 causes more reflections and insertion loss
Aries Retimer Benefits
- Integrated capacitors reduce total retimer footprint, allowing for retimer use even on 1U riser cards
- Extensive interop testing with many NIC, HBA, and FPGA endpoints to ensure plug-and-play interoperability
- Enables robust systems by passing thousands of loop tests with major CPU vendors
- Built-in REFCLK buffer reduces total BOM cost by removing need for additional clock buffers
Products
Product | Documents | Description | Max PCIe Gen | PCIe Lanes | Ordering |
Astera Labs PCIe® 4.0, PCIe 5.0, and CXL™ x16 and x8 Low-Latency Smart Retimers | PCIe 5.0 | x 8 |