What is PCIe 6.0?

Since PCIe 3, each new generation of the standard has seen a doubling in the data rate. PCIe 6.0 will boost the data rate to 64 gigatransfers per second (GT/s), twice that of PCIe 5.0. 

For a x16 link, which is typical of graphics and network cards, the bandwidth of the link reaches 128 gigabytes per second (GB/s). As in previous generations, the PCIe 6.0 link is full duplex, so it can deliver that 128 GB/s bandwidth in both directions simultaneously.

PCIe is proliferated widely beyond servers and PCs, with its economies of scale making it attractive for data-centric applications in IoT, automotive, medical and elsewhere. 

That being said, the initial deployments of PCIe 6.0 will target applications requiring the highest bandwidth possible and those can be found in the heart of the data center: AI/ML, HPC, networking and cloud graphics.

The following chart shows the evolution of the PCIe specification over time:

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