Aries PCIe®/CXL® Smart Cable Modules

Multi-rack GPU clustering for AI
over copper cables

Unleash GPU-to-GPU Clustering Across Racks

  • Extends PCIe® 6.0, 5.0, PCIe 4.0, and CXL® signal reach across dense AI racks using Active Electrical Cables
  • Built on the proven track record of our widely deployed and field-tested Aries PCIe/CXL Smart DSP Retimers
  • Supports multiple form factors and configurations to accommodate diverse AI system topologies
  • COSMOS suite for performance optimization and seamless fleet management across dense AI platforms

Aries SCM Highlights

Enabling reliable PCIe/CXL for rack-to-rack connectivity

Robust Signal
Integrity

Over copper cables with flexible link bifurcation

Extended Cable
Reach By

Compared to passive DAC solutions

Enhanced Diagnostics
& Telemetry

Advanced capabilities through in-band and out-of-band management

Why Use Aries Smart Cable Modules?

Aries SCMs enable robust, easy-to-design PCIe and CXL cabling while also offering COSMOS suite of built-in advanced fleet management, security, and deep diagnostic capabilities critical to ensuring high reliability and up-time.

Robustness

  • Supported Data Rates

    64 GT/s, 32 GT/s, 16 GT/s, 8 GT/s, 5 GT/s, and 2.5 GT/s Data Rates with Automatic Link Equalization

  • Power Efficient

    Low power CMOS process and L1.0 Low-Power Mode minimizes rack power/thermal density

  • Low Latency

    Less than 10ns

  • Security

    Advanced security features help prevent malicious attacks of unauthorized firmware loading, module diagnostics access, and configurations

Ease-of-use

  • Thin Cable Gauge

    Offering thin cables in various lengths for flexible bend radius

  • Extended Reach

    Up to 7m for long reach inter-rack PCIe 5.0 connectivity and up to 6m for PCIe 6.x connectivity

  • Flexible Supply Chain

    Aries SCMs are compatible with multiple cable vendors for ease of second sourcing of active cable assemblies and accelerated time to market

  • Interop Testing

    Rigorous system testing with 50+ Endpoints and all major Root Complex

Fleet Management

  • Quick Debug

    Built-in protocol analyzer with Link state history and timestamps, full non-destructive eye scan for RX Lane margining, self-test features to minimize link downtime and accelerate fault isolation

  • Deep Diagnostics

    Firmware-driven link health monitoring to alert BMC of any possible link performance issues

Use Cases

Read more

Memory Disaggregation

Expand, pool and share memory between multiple servers to increase memory bandwidth and capacity while providing the option to reclaim stranded or under-utilized…

Resources

Ordering Information

Part NumberDocumentsPCIe Gen PCIe LanesOrderingProduction Status
PM30-6XXPortfolio BriefPCIe 6.xVariousContact Us Pre-Production
PM20-5XXPortfolio BriefPCIe 5.0VariousContact UsProduction

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How our collaboration with ASPEED and Insyde on OpenBMC support advances the vision of open, interoperable AI rack infrastructure We’re at an inflection point in AI infrastructure. As I watch hyperscalers architect their next-generation AI racks, I see a fundamental shift happening—one that goes far beyond just faster GPUs and higher bandwidth connections. We’re witnessing the… Read more

Breaking the 100 GB/s Barrier: Astera Labs and Micron Demonstrate Production-Ready PCIe 6 Storage Performance at FMS 2025

The future of AI infrastructure arrived at the Future of Memory and Storage (FMS) 2025 conference, where Astera Labs and Micron achieved a groundbreaking milestone: over 100 GB/s of sustained throughput using production-ready PCIe 6 technology. This industry-first demonstration represents a transformative advancement in AI storage performance, featuring four Micron 9650 PCIe Gen6 SSDs and… Read more

Astera Labs at FMS 2025: Accelerating Storage and Memory Innovation in the AI Infrastructure 2.0 Era

As AI models push computational boundaries with breakthrough reasoning capabilities, storage and memory must also evolve to optimize AI Infrastructure 2.0. From training massive models to enabling real-time inference, every part of the AI workflow relies on seamless connectivity between diverse storage and memory technologies.Join Astera Labs at the Future of Memory and Storage Summit… Read more

Astera Labs Announces Financial Results for the Third Quarter of Fiscal Year 2025

Record quarterly revenue of $230.6 million, up 20% QoQ and 104% YoYStrong Q3 revenue growth driven by new AI platform ramps featuring multiple product familiesScorpio fabric switch design wins expand to several platforms at multiple hyperscaler customersSAN JOSE, CA, U.S. – November 4, 2025 – Astera Labs, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALAB), a leader in semiconductor-based connectivity solutions… Read more

Astera Labs to Acquire aiXscale Photonics

Deal is expected to help enable scale-up photonic chiplets in AI Infrastructure 2.0 and accelerate Astera Labs’ deployment of rack-scale solutionsSAN JOSE, Calif.—October 22, 2025—Astera Labs, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALAB), a leader in semiconductor-based connectivity solutions for rack-scale AI infrastructure, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire aiXscale… Read more

Astera Labs Joins Arm Total Design to Accelerate Custom AI Infrastructure Solutions 

Collaboration addresses growing rack-scale infrastructure demands with custom AI chiplet architecture connectivity solutions SAN JOSE, Calif.–October 14, 2025–Astera Labs, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALAB), a leader in semiconductor-based connectivity solutions for rack-scale AI infrastructure, today announced it has joined Arm® Total Design, a comprehensive ecosystem dedicated to accelerating… Read more

Astera Labs Showcases Rack-Scale AI Ecosystem Momentum at OCP Global Summit

Comprehensive collaborations spanning GPU, CPU, cables & connectors, ODM, software management, and IP/design & verification providers show growing support for open standards driving AI Infrastructure 2.0SAN JOSE, Calif.—October 13, 2025—Astera Labs, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALAB), a leader in semiconductor-based connectivity solutions for rack-scale AI infrastructure, today announced… Read more

AI Open Rack Demo – OCP 2025

As AI workloads exceed the limits of traditional servers, Astera Labs is making Open Rack Architecture a reality. Seamless integration of compute and switch platforms at rack scale is key to unlocking a unified AI engine. Together with our ecosystem partners, Astera Labs is driving this vision forward—transforming concept into real-world impact.Watch Brian Deng showcase our AI Open Rack… Read more

End-to-End PCIe 6 Demo at OCP 2025

Scaling AI infrastructure demands flawless, high-speed connectivity across every link — from CPU to GPU, NIC to SSD. Astera Labs’ PCIe 6 portfolio makes this possible.In this demo at OCP Global Summit, Luca Perrone, Product Applications Engineer at Astera Labs, showcases end-to-end PCIe 6 connectivity with our Aries 6 Gearbox, Aries 6 Active Electrical Cable, and Scorpio P-Series Smart… Read more

Introduction to COSMOS Explorer

COSMOS Explorer is a powerful device management and monitoring tool designed to simplify the process of configuring, debugging, and validating link stability for all of Astera Labs’ products. It offers a rich set of system configuration options to help you achieve optimal performance and diagnostic capabilities.To show this in a real environment, the demo set-up features a host connected… Read more