MACOM Technology Solutions introduced a chipset that extends PCI Express (PCIe) 6.0 and Compute Express Link (CXL) connectivity up to 100 meters over multimode optical fiber, addressing one of the biggest barriers to disaggregated data center architectures. The solution combines the MATA-38794 transimpedance amplifier (TIA) and the MALD-38795 VCSEL driver to deliver 64 Gbps PAM4 signaling across eight PCIe lanes with full bus transparency, including sideband channels such as clock, reset, wake, USB, and Ethernet.
By consolidating signaling into a single fiber pair, the chipset reduces the cost and complexity of optical transceivers and cabling, making it more practical for large-scale deployments. This direct photonic interconnect model enables CPU-to-memory and GPU-to-GPU links without traditional server bundling and layered protocols. Benefits include lower latency, reduced power consumption, and more flexible resource scaling, all critical for AI and high-performance computing environments.
MACOM plans to showcase the PCIe 6.0 optical solution at CIOE 2025 in Shenzhen and ECOC 2025 in Copenhagen. Samples of the MATA-38794 TIA and MALD-38795 VCSEL Driver are already available. “Extending PCIe over fiber is essential for next generation disaggregated computing infrastructure,” said Stephen G. Daly, President and CEO of MACOM.
• PCIe 6.0 extension up to 100m over multimode fiber
• Eight PCIe lanes at 64 Gbps PAM4 with sideband signal transport
• Reduces cost and complexity with single fiber pair signaling
• Enables disaggregated compute models with lower latency and power
• Live demos at CIOE 2025 (Shenzhen) and ECOC 2025 (Copenhagen)
