Portwell and Microchip Technology Partnership Leverages PCIe® Gen 6.0 Solutions To Accelerate AI Infrastructure

Portwell, Inc.,  a world-leading innovator for Industrial PC (IPC) and embedded computing solutions, has entered into a strategic collaboration with Microchip Technology to deliver advanced PCI Express^® (PCIe^®) Gen 6.0 solutions. This partnership leverages Microchip’s recently launched Switchtec™ Gen 6 PCIe switches to power Portwell’s next generation platforms that utilize advanced processing technologies for AI computing Infrastructures. 

Collaboration leverages Microchip’s 3 nm Switchtec™ Gen 6 PCIe switches delivering 160-Lane scalability doubling bandwidth and boosting efficiency  

As AI models grow exponentially in size, the interconnect has become the primary bottleneck. The new solution utilizes PCIe 6.0 to deliver data rates of 64 GT/s, doubling the bandwidth of the previous generation while maintaining high energy efficiency. At the core of this collaboration is Microchip’s Switchtec Gen 6 family, the industry’s first PCIe Gen 6.0 switch manufactured using 3 nm process technology.  

“PCIe 6.0 represents a major leap forward, and Microchip’s leadership in this space allows us to bring cuttingedge performance and efficiency to our portfolio,” said Oskar Wu, Senior Vice President of Portwell. “We are partnering with our customers to accelerate the development of tomorrow’s AI systems, today.” 

Key technical advantages of this collaboration include: 

• Scalability: Supporting up to 160 lanes, the switches enable Portwell to offer high-density GPU fabric connectivity essential for AI training. 

• Optimized Power Efficiency & Sustainability: 3 nm process technology lowers power density and thermal output. These architectural advancements, combined with intelligent dynamic resource allocation, enable Portwell to deliver high-density AI computing platforms that significantly reduce energy consumption, addressing the growing ESG and thermal management requirements in modern data centers. 

• Rapid Deployment: By utilizing Microchip’s ChipLink diagnostic tools with real-time eye capture and Link Training and Status State Machine (LTSSM) monitoring, Portwell can enhance its product development processes, enabling efficient integration of cutting-edge technologies. 

“Our 3 nm PCIe Gen 6 switches provide the highperformance connectivity, robust signaling and energy efficiency required for modern AI and HPC architectures,” said Brian McCarson, corporate vice president of Microchip’s data center solutions business unit. “Partnering with Portwell allows us to bring these capabilities directly into advanced platforms to help accelerate innovation across the industry.”  

For inquiries regarding Portwell’s PCIe 6.0 platforms, please contact www.portwell.com.tw/support-center/service-request. For more information on the Switchtec family, visit www.microchip.com/en-us/products/interface-and-connectivity/pcie-switches.