Gen-Z Physical Layer Specification 1.1 now available for download

September 30, 2019 -- The Gen-Z Consortium is excited to announce the public release of its Physical Layer Specification 1.1. This version provides several updates to the Gen-Z Physical Layer Specification 1.0, including enhanced support for PCIe® Gen5 and support for Gen-Z 50G Fabric and Local Physical Layers. PCIe® Gen5 doubles the link bandwidth from PCIe® Gen4’s 16GT/s to 32GT/s per lane. Likewise, Gen-Z 50G doubles the link bandwidth of Gen-Z 25G through Four-level Pulse Amplitude Modulation (PAM4) and adds ultra-low-latency Forward Error Correction (FEC) for improved link reliability.

The Gen-Z Physical Layer Specification outlines logical, functional, electrical, and channel characteristics for a multitude of physical layers that enable communication from the Gen-Z core layers to other devices via a specific media and signaling interface. The Physical Layer Specification is formatted as a clause-based document and enables separate and subsequent development cycles for individual physical layer specification clauses required for different applications. Version 1.1 adds PCIe® Gen5 support to the PCIe® Physical Layer Clause and adds new clauses for the Gen-Z 50G Fabric and Gen-Z 50G Local Physical Layers.

Consortium members have released Gen-Z based IP and memory solutions, indicating the industry’s commitment to the community and in anticipation of product development. Gen-Z has eight final specifications and five draft specifications available to the public for individual and bulk download, enabling the development of products utilizing Gen-Z solutions. Download the Gen-Z Physical Layer Specification 1.1 today.