PCI-SIG today announced a new optical interconnect specification revision to enable higher PCI Express (PCIe) technology performance. The Optical Aware Retimer Engineering Change Notice (ECN) amends the PCIe 6.4 specification and the new PCIe 7.0 specification to include a PCIe retimer-based solution, providing the first industry standardized way to implement PCIe technology over optical fiber.

"We saw a need for an industry standard optical interconnect based on PCIe technology and the Optical Aware Retimer ECN is the first step to add a modular optical solution," said Al Yanes, PCI-SIG President and Chairperson. "We expect initial adoption to occur in data center applications like AI/ML and cloud. As PCIe technology becomes more widely available over time, we foresee innovative use cases across many market segments."