PCIe Gen6 SSDs target AI servers before gaming PCs
PCIe Gen6 storage is starting to appear across Computex. The first wave of products is aimed at enterprise SSDs, AI servers and data center platforms.
© Wccftech/HighYield Phison is showing its next-generation PCIe Gen6 SSD controller called X3. The company lists it as a controller for future high-speed AI storage markets. Phison is also showing PCIe 6.0 retimers and redrivers, which are needed to maintain signal quality at higher data rates.
According to booth coverage from Computex, Phison’s X3 controller targets up to 28 GB/s sequential throughput and up to 6.8 million IOPS. The controller is planned for enterprise form factors such as E1.S and E3.S, with customer sampling expected later this year and volume shipments planned for 2027.
Source: High Yield
InnoGrit is also showing a PCIe Gen6 controller at Computex. The Crestone IG5686 is a PCIe Gen6 x4 controller with NVMe 2.3 support, up to 256TB capacities, up to 28 GB/s read speed , up to 22 GB/s write speed and up to 7 million random read IOPS. The controller is also listed for E1.S and E3.S SSDs.
Source: Tom’s Hardware
For desktop users, PCIe Gen6 storage is still years away. Consumer platforms are only now moving fully into PCIe 5.0 storage, and upcoming client platforms are not expected to make Gen6 SSDs standard any time soon. It seems safe to say that PCIe Gen6 will either arrive late for current and next-generation platforms, or appear around the same time as DDR6 memory.
For now, this is mostly a server and data center story. Gen5 SSDs were finally reaching better prices, but AI demand and the wider memory shortage have already pushed storage prices back up.
