Aries PCIe®/CXL® Smart DSP Retimers

Ramping volume production of Aries 6

Download Portfolio Brief

Gold Standard PCIe® Retimer Portfolio

Field-tested and widely deployed at all major hyperscalers & AI platform providers

  • Solves high-speed PCIe®/CXL® signal integrity challenges in AI and general purpose servers with reliable 3x reach extension
  • Purpose-built for AI and cloud infrastructure delivering high performance, low power, and seamless interoperability
  • Provides a smart connectivity backbone that is reliable, scalable and customizable for diverse cloud-scale deployments
  • Comprehensive solution complete with software suite for advanced Link, Fleet & RAS telemetry & diagnostics

Aries 6 Highlights

Seamless upgrade from 2nd generation Aries 5 utilizing industry standard footprints

Lowest Power
PCIe 6.X Retimer

Optimizes cloud infrastructure TCO & simplifies system design

Robust Signal
Integrity

64GT/s PAM4 SerDes and DSP customized for demanding AI server channels

Enhanced Diagnostics
& Telemetry

Cosmos Platform Logo – Astera Labs Developer Ecosystem for CXL Products

Extended capabilities through in-band and out-of-band management

Why AI & Cloud Providers Use the Aries Retimer Portfolio

Enhanced portfolio with years of learnings from cloud-scale deployments

Robustness

  • Enhanced Signal Integrity 

    Proven track record of solving high-speed PCIe/CXL signal integrity challenges with reliable 3x reach extension

  • Optimized Thermal Efficiency

    Low power Retimers with integrated heat spreader simplify platform thermal design and cooling while reducing infrastructure TCO

  • Rigorous Interop Testing

    System testing with major hosts and 50+ endpoints in our Cloud-Scale Interop Lab minimizes interoperation risk and accelerates time-to-market

Ease-of-use

  • Simple Board Design

    Small package footprint with integrated AC coupling caps and flexible clocking modes simplify routing and reduce solution size

  • Comprehensive Retimer Portfolio

    Multiple packages (8/16 lane), protocols (PCIe/CXL) and form factors (ICs/Smart Cable Modules/boards) for diverse AI & cloud

  • SW-defined Architecture 

    COSMOS with Aries software-defined architecture adjusts protocol and state transitions to support open and diverse PCIe ecosystem

Fleet Management

  • Quick Debug

    Built-in protocol analyzer with Link state history and timestamps, full non-destructive eye scan for RX Lane margining, self-test features to minimize link downtime and accelerate fault isolation

  • Deep Diagnostics

    Firmware-driven link health monitoring to alert BMC of any possible link performance issues

  • In-field Upgrade

    COSMOS software upgrades enable seamless deployment of new features into existing infrastructure in the field

Use Cases

AI Server Head Node

Deliver high-performance, robust PCIe link connectivity with optimized thermal efficiency for CPU root complex server boards that connect to GPU baseboards…

Modular Infrastructure

Accelerate general purpose server deployments with high performance, robust PCIe connectivity solutions in modular infrastructure based on industry standard…

Resources

Evaluation Kits

Evaluation KitImageDocumentsDescriptionMax PCIe GenPCIe LanesPack QuantityOrderingProduction Status
Equinox 6 PCIe® 6.x Riser Cardequinox-6-675x550Product BriefAries 6 Smart Retimer CEM-CEM Add-in-CardPCIe 6.xx161Contact UsPre-Production
Solstice 6 PCIe 6.x Riser CardSolstice 6 PCIe 6.0 Riser Card – Astera Labs Connectivity Product PhotoProduct BriefAries 6 Smart Retimer CEM-MCIO Add-in-CardPCIe 6.xx161Contact UsPre-Production
Equinox 5 PCIe® 5.0 Riser CardAries Equinox PCIe 5.0 Add-In CardProduct BriefAries 5 Smart Retimer CEM-CEM Add-in-CardPCIe 5.0x161Contact UsProduction
COMET-REVAComet Board ImageProduct BriefAstera Labs USB-to-I2C Communication Module––1Contact UsProduction

Ordering Information

Orderable Part NumberDocumentsRetimer GenerationMax PCIe GenPCIe LanesOrderingStatus
PT6082Portfolio Brief3rdPCIe 6.x / CXL 3.xx8Contact UsPre-Production
PT6161Portfolio Brief3rdPCIe 6.x / CXL 3.xx16Contact UsPre-Production
PT6162Portfolio Brief3rdPCIe 6.x / CXL 3.xx16Contact UsProduction
PT5081Portfolio Brief2ndPCIe 5.0 / CXL 2.0x8Contact UsProduction
PT5161Portfolio Brief2ndPCIe 5.0 / CXL 2.0x16Contact UsProduction
PT4080Portfolio Brief1stPCIe 4.0x8Contact UsProduction
PT4161Portfolio Brief1stPCIe 4.0x16Contact UsProduction

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