PCIe 7.0 is still years away from becoming mainstream. While it’ll redefine what solid state drives can do, the PCIe specification is unlikely to become relevant in the consumer space for a while. The PCI-SIG has unveiled version 0.3 of the PCIe 7.0 spec and it’s on track to deliver the final spec in 2025, with devices to follow around 2027 at the earliest.
Right now, PCIe 5.0 devices remain scarce, and while they offer headline grabbing sequential transfer speeds, in the real world, a good quality PCIe 4.0 SSD is still perfectly viable. PCIe 7.0 will be much more relevant in the commercial space at least initially, with bandwidth-hogging data centers and HPC systems being the obvious targets.
PCIe 7.0 specs
PCIe 7.0 will deliver a maximum data rate up to 128 GT/s, 8x faster than PCIe 4.0 and 4x faster than PCIe 5.0, resulting in up to 512GB/s of bi-directional throughput for a x16 connection and 128GB/s for an x4 connection.
A higher bandwidth for a given lane count means we’ll see more x8 and x4 graphics cards, while a PCIe 7.0 x2 link offers as much bandwidth as a PCIe 4.0 x16 link. The PCIe 7.0 specification draft notes that PCIe 7.0 features “no changes to mechanics, timing, or management” and is “fully compatible with previous generations.”
PCIe 7.0 specification
The PCIe 7.0 specification draft mentions storage a couple of times, with the tech potentially defining the future of M.2. By 2035, PCIe 7.0 support will enable drives with cables, but don’t expect PCIe 7.0 M.2 SSDs to launch any time soon.
It’ll be interesting to see what PCIe 7.0 means for future SSDs, but realistically, solid state technology will likely evolve in different ways before PCIe 7.0 becomes relevant. For instance, faster NAND standards and a complete shift away from M.2 could eventually allow drives to maximize their potential.
Ultimately, PCIe 7.0 will redefine what an SSD can do, with a PCIe 7.0 x4 SSD capable of transferring over 50GB/s (4x the bandwidth of PCIe 4.0). As far as graphics cards are concerned, we’re happy to stick with PCIe 4.0 until a solution comes along that makes it relevant again.
In other words, the PCI Express 4.0 specification is complete, and the PCI Express 5.0 specification draft is now available for public review and comment.