The storage landscape is rapidly evolving, led by advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and High-Performance Computing (HPC). These applications generate massive amounts of data that must be instantaneously processed, stored and analyzed in real time. With its high bandwidth, scalability, power efficiency, and numerous other features, PCI Express® (PCIe®) technology is the backbone of the storage industry.

How PCIe and NVMe Technologies are Revolutionizing Storage

PCIe architecture is used in storage applications to provide direct access to the host memory bus, meaning that a host adapter is not required in these applications. The PCIe specification’s bandwidth doubling every three years provides a built-in performance evolution without having to make enhancements to underlying protocols and applications.

PCIe technology is the memory interface that allowed NVM Express® (NVMe®) technology to evolve the direct-attached storage environment away from host controller-based specifications like Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) and Serial AT Attachment (SATA). By using PCIe technology, storage devices incorporate the host controller functionality directly into the device, which reduces latency and costs, while rapidly increasing bandwidth.

According to the “PCIe Express Market Vertical Opportunity” report from ABI Research, legacy storage and memory protocol speeds are capped far below the required data transfer rate to effectively support the massive datasets of AI and HPC. PCIe technology, deployed in conjunction with NVMe technology, is a storage and memory access and transport protocol for SSDs that has sufficient data transfer speeds to meet the requirements of AI and HPC workloads. This new SSD protocol provides speed, performance and power-efficiency benefits for AI and HPC.

Challenges of Implementing PCIe Technology in Storage

A unique challenge for implementing PCIe technology in the storage market is the need for scaling. There is always a need for increasing storage and memory in the data center, and it is not unusual to have hundreds of thousands of NVMe devices in a typical data center. PCIe technology works to meet the needs of rising storage demands by simplifying the scaling challenge within data centers. PCIe 6.0 technology, for example, can scale up to 16 lanes per link, providing a maximum bidirectional bandwidth of up to 256 GB/s for x16 configurations.

Future Opportunities for PCIe Technologies in Storage

As the storage market has evolved, the industry has started to make use of additional PCIe technologies, including virtual functions and even physical functions such as dual ports. In today’s market, one of the interesting capabilities is how PCIe architecture provides support for virtual storage elements. PCIe technology, along with NVMe technology, supports independence and privacy for storage data and applications. Due to its high bandwidth and low latency, PCIe technology also supports replication capabilities, which enable applications such as website live scaling.

Watch the Video to Learn More about PCIe Technology in Storage

Watch my recent “PCIe Technology in Storage” video on the PCI-SIG YouTube Channel to learn more about the benefits and opportunities of PCIe architecture in storage applications.