PLX Achieves Industry-First Compliance of PCI Express 3.0 Switches on Exclusive PCI-SIG Integrators List

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Feb. 4, 2014 – PLX Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: PLXT), the global leader in PCI Express® (PCIe®) silicon and software connectivity solutions enabling emerging data center architectures, today announced three PLX® ExpressLane™ PCIe Gen3 switches have passed the rigorous testing procedures of the PCI-SIG® Compliance Workshop and are now listed on the group’s highly respected PCIe 3.0 Integrators List. PLX is the only PCIe switch vendor to date that has achieved Gen3 compliance.

The newly compliant PLX ExpressLane switches -- PEX8725 (24 lanes, 10 ports), PEX8734 (32 lanes, 8 ports), and PEX8749 (48 lanes, 18 ports) -- are developed on leading-edge 40nm technology. These three devices are members of PLX’s extensive family of 18 PCIe Gen3 switches ranging from 12 to 96 lanes and three to 24 ports, which PLX has been shipping to hundreds of customers for more than two years. In addition to the wide selection, these products offer multi-host/multi-root switching capabilities that enable designers to connect multiple hosts to their respective end-points via scalable, high-bandwidth, non-blocking interconnections to a wide variety of applications including servers, storage, and communications.

The devices, often used for fan-out, also offer hot-plug controllers, virtual channels, and spread spectrum clock (SSC) isolation capability. The PEX8725 and PEX8749 feature on-chip direct memory access (DMA) engines that provide the capability to move large amount of data from local memory to devices attached to the switch; thus allowing use of CPU cycles for other time-critical applications. Furthermore, these devices feature valuable on-chip and software-backed debug and diagnostic tools including Rx eye measurements, packet generation, data logging, and error counting – industry-unique tools that help eliminate the need for expensive test equipment for bring-up and run-time monitoring of designs using PLX switches.

“PLX leadership in PCIe-compliant interconnect solutions is highlighted by 46 switches, bridges and development kits being approved for the highly regarded PCI-SIG PCI Express 2.0 Integrators List,” said Eugene Cabanban, marketing manager, PCIe solutions, PLX. “Our goal is to gain compliance across the board for PLX’s growing Gen3 portfolio by continuing to take our switches to future compliance testing events, as some companies refer to the list when making purchasing decisions. Meanwhile, our Gen3 switches share a common switching architecture and SerDes so designers can use all of our Gen3 switches with full confidence.”

PLX is the worldwide market leader with over 70 percent market share in PCIe switch products, today offering 18 ExpressLane PCIe Gen3 switches. The company has more Gen3 switches in development to enable its ExpressFabric® initiative, enterprise storage, and other key cloud/data center applications, while in parallel is planning for PCIe Gen4 products.

About PLX
PLX Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: PLXT), based in Sunnyvale, Calif., USA, is the industry-leading global provider of semiconductor-based PCI Express connectivity solutions primarily targeting enterprise data center markets. The company develops innovative software-enriched silicon that enables product differentiation, reliable interoperability and superior performance. Visit PLX on plxtech.com