ACADEMIA

PLX Technology and One Stop Systems announced a collaboration to deliver the world's first industrial-grade high-performance computing systems and PCIe-over-cable products based on the PCIe Gen3 standard. The alliance pairs exclusive PLX ExpressLane PCIe Gen3 switches with OSS's premium design architectures, ideal for telecom, data centers and industrial markets.

OSS is designing and manufacturing PCIe Gen3-based standard and custom expansions systems, expansion kits and cable adapters by utilizing PLX's Gen3 switches. End-to-end, high-performance connectivity of 8Gbps per lane is accomplished via the PLX Gen3 switches, both inside the OSS chassis as well as in their cabled box-to-box applications.

OSS is a pioneer in PCIe development since the standard's inception and again leads the industry with these new Gen3 designs. Today, OSS has the largest offering of PCIe-over-cable products available. The first of these Gen3 products is a PCIe x16 Gen3 cable adapter utilizing a PLX PEX8733 Gen3 switch for networking applications between two PCs as well as in I/O applications from a host server cabled to a downstream endpoint. OSS is also introducing PCIe x8 Gen3 dual- or quad-cable adapters with a PLX PEX8749 switch on the base-board and a PEX8733 switch on the daughter card. This OSS cable adapter supports up to four PCIe x8 cable connectors on its front panel. In addition, OSS is releasing 1U and 2U PCIe Gen3 expansion systems that support the Gen3 GPUs, using the latest PLX ExpressLane switches.

The innovative PLX PCIe Gen3 switch family, the industry's first and designed on a 40nm process node, includes broad lane counts ranging from 12 up to 48, and port counts of three up to 12. The devices began sampling in November 2010 and are fully compliant to the PCI-SIG Base Specification 3.0. Board and system designers can take full advantage of the latest PCIe specification -- 8Gbps in both directions (Tx/Rx), per lane -- thus enabling one PLX 48-lane Gen3 switch to handle an astounding 96Gbps of full peer-to-peer bandwidth.

"Working with PLX over the years has contributed significantly to our success, in that we have full access to the industry's broadest and highest-performance PCI Express portfolio and superior technical support, which translates into our cutting-edge designs," said Steve Cooper, CEO, One Stop Systems. "At the end of the day, our customers are serviced with premium solutions that generate repeated business for OSS."

"That PLX PCI Express Gen3 technology is expanding One Stop Systems' exceptional product portfolio is testament to the two companies' long and valued working relationship, as well as to their respective market leadership," said Gene Schaeffer, executive vice president, global sales, PLX. "One Stop Systems is truly at the leading edge in PCI Express development, while at the same time, every designer of PCI Express-based products we speak with around the world is ramping toward Gen3 at a dramatically faster rate than we saw in Gen2."